Totus Tuus

This week my parish is hosting Totus Tuus. Basically, it is Vacation Bible School that is hooked up and faithful to the Magesterium of the Church. It was started 20 years ago by someone in our Diocese who is now a priest. In fact, this year we will ordain our 23rd Priest here in Wichita that lists Totus Tuus as a significant influence on his vocation.

My oldest daughter is attending this week long affair for the second time this year (she is going into the 3rd grade). This year they are learning about the sorrowful mysteries. It is a great opportunity, daily Mass, confession and lots of Fun activities but very joyful and faithful. The best thing about it is that its not watered down and the kids love it. I will write more about some of the activities and some of my past experiences later, check out the website above and see if your diocese has this program or talk to someone about bringing it to your diocese.

Under the Mercy,

Matthew S

Being my Children's Curriculum

"You are the curriculum."

This phrase is something that I cringe at hearing because it means that I am not doing what I am supposed to be doing. I suppose I should explain what I am talking about for everyone reading this who is not my wife and is just now jumping into the conversation.

Our household is a Catholic Home schooling household. I have four beautiful daughters from eight months to eight years old that don't go away for school but instead it is part of their day here at the house. Every year we have debated over, researched and lost hair over trying to decide what exact curriculum and curriculum style to use.

We have lots of different ways to teach your children at home and they all have different personalities, strengths and weaknesses. They also have unique products that have to be purchased, different levels of time commitment and wildly varied price tags.

This has really caused us to step back and reevaluate what our priorities in home schooling are. Our prestige is not at stake, a cute notebook isn't important, approval of others doesn't make it, nor does smooth quiet idealistic days that are carefree and have no problems the point.

What we are trying to accomplish is the formation of an eternal soul, a gift from God that is given to my temporary care. I am responsible for raising this child to know, love and serve the Lord. My goal is to be greeted at the gates of heaven with the words, "Job well done my true and faithful servant." It is also my job that my children be greeted similarly.

I want to spend eternity in heaven and my children learn that love for the Lord not from coloring pages or singing Kumbaya but from seeing me. I am the curriculum and though I fail, I will ask forgiveness and continue to run the race before me. That is the most important lesson they learn, perseverance unto the end in abiding in the Lord.

Under the Mercy,

Matthew S.
Catholic Catholic+homeschooling homeschool homeschooling education children fatherhood

Something to chew on.....

Ok, a serious rant but it was inspired by something I thought was cute and I tie it all together and share it at the bottom, so pardon my soap box.



One of the things that I am working on as I go on (thank God we are homeschooling our kids) is their "education" in that which brings about human life. Oh, and I am not talking about the story of creation. So, we have decided that formal education is out, just see what bringing attention to drugs has done in the D.A.R.E. programs. So, our kids ask us things and we tell them a true answer but not completely true answer to their question and their current level of satisfaction. For example, our five year old will tell you that babies are made by Mommy and Daddy participating in a "special hug" that brings about a new baby. In fact, she has asked when my wife and I are going to do that again so we can have another baby!

My opinion would be that we should not have any form of public sex-education, I don't want my kids taught about condoms or an abstinence only program. I have a feeling that highlighting sexuality, especially in a mixed environment (lets face it the 1 hour of class may be segregated by gender but the rest of the day isn't), no matter what the message is, especially to a younger group of kids that are still learning to reason, is a dangerous thing. I get alot of my information from Steve Wood's website, Dads.org. On e of the things that I think is important is modeling the virtues for our children, if we want them to be modest, shouldn't their education be modest? Does a young woman need to know that sex can be really exciting and fun until she is engaged and soon to be married? What is she going to do with that knowledge before then? She can know it is beautiful, special, important and the means of procreation.

I really think that telling 12 year olds how to chart and know what it means (this is when you are "safe") is like giving them a loaded gun, especially if they are of the thought that this is going to be fun. The other thing that I think is important is that our daughters and sons know that we respect them and support them in a decision to be chaste. I know how hard it is to be chaste in a wild dating society and fully intend on my daughters only being allowed to court. Anyway, I am swinging far and wide. Does anyone else have any ideas about sex education for kids? Right now we are just running with it as any other part of life, not something that you have to be sat down for and make a big production out of. I am not calling anyone a bad parent for what they have done, I am trying to build on experiences and figure out what is best, so that I can provide it for my kids. Though, I will say that this makes for interesting times with my 7 month old daughter as she chews on the different ideas around contraception.








Under the Mercy,

Matthew S.



sex+education homeschool homeschooling contraception NFP natural+family+planning

The beauty of homeschooling

Well, its that time of the year again. No, not time to start homeschooling but wrapping up things for the year and working on planning for the next year. A few people I know are working to be teachers because they will have the summer off to be with their kids. While you do have more time off in the summer than someone that works year round I do know that teachers have to do continuing education and prep-work for the next year during the summer. The same is true for homeschooling parents.

We have to study curriculums, activities, evaluate the last year and enrich our knowledge base during the summer. The plus for us is that the students we teach learn with us throughout the summer. We also learn from them, their is not a big getting to know you period at the beginning of the year, we taught these kids last year and we have done things and grown with them all summer long.








We are in the mode of teaching our kids and they continue to learn, we undertake one of our fundamental responsibilities as parents to educate our children. My wife being a stay at home mom is home with the kids all the time, its a way of life. Its not a way of life without struggles (for both of us) but its a calling from God. Today is our cleaning day at the house and we worked all over cleaning and some of the kids learned new chores. Yes, the chore was cleaning the toilet bowl. This is another way that my wife is working smarter. Instead of sending the kids off to a corner and having to deal with them when they interrupt her work, she is working smarter and putting all of us to work on the weekly cleaning chores. She is working hard and working smarter!! Did I mention I love and adore my wife, she is just plain awesome and I am blessed by having her around.

Our kids are learning service to each other , their fellow man, as they do this work beside us. This doesn't make them perfect by any means, all of us in this family fall from time to time. However, we hope that the time we spend together and I with my daughters will help them to get a good start on the way of perfection. This spending time together and teach I think really fits John Henry Cardinal Newman's approach of "Cor ad Cor Loquitor". Hearts speaking to Hearts, that is how school should be, that is how we make a difference in the school that is life, that is what homeschooling is really about, the school of life.

Under the Mercy,

Matthew S.
p.s. Since this is emailed to you and you get to read it, I love you dearling.





homeschool homeschooling Cardinal+newman the+school+of+life children chores