Hiatus

Hello everyone,
I just wanted to write a quick note saying that I will be on hiatus for a while. A lot has happened lately in my personal life and I've not been able to keep up with your emails, comments and questions. I am sad to say that my Father passed away today. Please keep him and my family in your prayers. I feel a bit overwhelmed right now, but hope to return to my blog soon.

God Bless!
-Susana

Happy Feast of Pentecost!

We'll be going to our friends house for cupcakes to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost and the birthday of the Catholic Church! Check out some great ideas for Pentecost over at Catholic Icing!

Hymn

Come Holy Ghost, Creator Blest,

And in our hearts take up Thy rest;

Come with Thy grace and heav'nly aid

To fill the hearts which Thou hast made,
To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

O Comfort Blest to Thee we cry,

Thou heav'nly Gift of God most high;

Thou fount of life and fire of love,

And sweet anointing from above,
And sweet anointing from above.

Praise be to Thee Father and Son,
And Holy Spirit Three in one;
And may the Son on us bestow
The gifts that from the Spirit flow,
The gifts that from the Spirit flow.

I found this Youtube Video where you can listen to the hymn:

Happy Mothers Day! Feliz Dia de Las Madres!

Thank you Mother Mary for being the best example for mothers, for being a living tabernacle and carrying Our Lord Jesus Christ in your womb, and for being by His side during His time of suffering. At Cana Our Lord said, "My time has not yet come", and yet how could he refuse a request from His beloved mother? Mother Mary, like at Cana, please ask Our Lord Jesus a favor for us. Ask Him to help and bless mothers all over the world, especially those who may feel in despair with the temptation of abortion, mothers who do not realize they may be having embryonic abortions while on the pill, and mothers who may especially need His holy comfort and consolation.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Mother Mary, Pray For Us!

Montessori Outlet

I've searched and searched, but cannot find the email or comment from the person asking me my opinion on materials from Montessori Outlet. Since I cannot find it, I will just post my thoughts here.

Having used materials from Montessori Outlet over several years now, I have found them to be well priced for home educators, and in my experience they have held up pretty well.

The only negative thing I would say is that some of the knobs in the geometric cabinet came off, but it's not been a big deal and could easily be fixed with some super glue.

I worked with a person named Emmie Saito, and she has been nothing but helpful and patient, especially when placing a large complicated order for the home school co-op. There were a few mix ups, but they were taken care of promptly. Overall, I have been very pleased with their products and customer service.

I strongly recommend not waiting until the last minute (August, September) to place your Montessori Outlet orders, or any home schooling orders for that matter. Those are extremely busy months for companies and you will more than likely end up with back ordered items.

I personally feel that now is the time for planning and prepping for the start of the new school year, even though this school year is not even over for most people. Even if you only put in 1-2 hours a week in May, it will help you feel more organized and ready come late August or September when you start your official school year again.

I hope this helps!
-Susana

Mi Vida Loca!

Hello everyone! I've gotten some comments and emails from some of you, and I apologize for taking so long to respond.

Life has been so very busy lately due to several reasons:

1. Spring marks the beginning of the busy season for our business. It only gets busier as the Summer approaches. My husband is a full time musician and in between schooling and trying to get dinner, etc.. I am his administrative assistant, answering calls and helping customers the best I can while he is out performing.

2. The week following Easter was a time of some sadness, frustration, and additional work loads in regards to the Montessori home school co-op. It's been a challenge to have to pick up slack and try and manage extra work, but God is helping me through it.

3. I'm pregnant, and boy does that slow me down!

Please be patient with me! I would love to write back to you and now that we just got an i-Pad, I just may be able to lay in bed (giving those swollen veins a good rest), while responding to my lovely readers. I truly appreciate all your comments, and am so very happy to help you in any way I can as far as advice on materials and my experiences with Montessori in the home.

Thank you all, and a BIG saludo y abrazo to the ladies from Mexico and Puerto Rico that have written to say hello.

God willing I will be back soon with a new blog post regarding my experience and advice doing Montessori in the home alone, and as a co-op with other moms and children.

Take Care and God Bless...
-Susana

So Blessed!

I am so excited, I almost can't even believe it. This morning, we went to a yard sale at a local art center where my husband teaches music. There is a Montessori school on the same property, so I was hoping that maybe, just maybe, I would find some items for our home classroom. Well, as I was getting excited over a 10 cent bag of clothespins for the kids to hang their art with, I spotted a set of Montessori geography maps! I ran over there to get a closer look, and the maps were actually from Montessori-n-Such! The same maps I've been wanting for ever! I already had their world map in our 6-9 classroom, and now this set included Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe, South America and the U.S.A. It didn't come with the cabinet and is missing North America, but for $20 for the set, I can't complain! There were maybe 5 puzzle pieces missing all together, so I'm hoping to contact Montessori-n-Such to see if they have replacement parts. I also found a perfect Nienhuis Sandpaper globe for.... 50 cents! I was hoping they would have more Montessori stuff, but I have to say, I am extremely pleased and feel very blessed to have found the maps and globe. Thank you once again dear Lord for taking care of us. I feel so very blessed!