Don't Be Shy....Please!

Did I mention that I really need to learn how to write?  Okay, maybe NEED is a bit too strong.  I just want to be able to put my thoughts on paper (or internet) and have them sound as smart as they do in my head.  'Cause every time I try to put my brilliance out there for the benefit of others, it comes out sounding something like "Uh......."

I do know that one way to become a good writer is to read.  A lot.  I'm hoping romance novels count.  Okay, not really.  But I've only just BEGUN to try to read stuff that I have to actually concentrate on, like works from famous scholars such as Drs. Aquinas, Pieper, or Seuss.  (Actually, I've been trying to learn from that last one all my life.)

One thing I've been told (mainly by my husband) is that brevity is very important.  Ahem.  Since he's a good writer, I know he's not just telling me to shut up.  You've heard the claim:  "If I had more time, I'd have written a shorter letter."  Well, I need to learn how to get my thoughts across clearly and succinctly.

Also, I've heard that I should write every day.  And I'm already trying to do that.  I sure hope there's a better reason for that other than torturing anyone who stumbles across my posts each day or causing my Facebook friends to "unsubscribe all status updates" out of sheer boredom. 

I know that writing takes a structured mind.  I learned in 5th grade English that a paragraph should have a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and concluding sentence.  I also learned in 6th grade English that you can take said topic sentence and make it into an introductory paragraph, the supporting sentences become supporting paragraphs, and the concluding sentence can be made into a (surprise!) concluding paragraph.  But this doesn't tell me WHAT to write.  Like what words to put down in what order and all that.

How can I blame my kids for weeping over their writing assignments, when I still get hives at the thought of taking a single topic and producing an essay that will be turned over to an evaluator who will scribble all over it in red pen, giving me helpful and specific advice like "Too vague" or "Expand upon this." 

So I need advice.  Helpful advice.  LOTS of helpful advice.  Hit me.

What's in a Name?

My husband pointed out to me that my FIRST blog entry should have explained the name of my journal. Oops. Here's the story:

Back when I was young and naive, I was expecting our fourth child. We were attending a party at my in-laws' house, and the guests included long time friends of the family who were the proud parents of TWELVE children, most of whom were married with children of their own. Still, any time you'd ask this lovely Irish couple how many children they had, the husband would invariably say "Twelve....so far," with a knowing twinkle in his eye and a nudge to his wife, who would just smile and shake her head at him.

I was only about half-way through my pregnancy, but was already showing plenty. When she saw me, Mrs. Miggins exclaimed with joy over my condition and placed a tender hand on my belly. She asked me in her lovely, lilting Irish brogue: "Have you felt life yet?"

Now I've been asked many times over the years if I'd felt the baby moving, or if I'd experienced "quickening," and the like, but never before and never since have I been asked about my child's movements in such a beautiful way.

Had I felt life yet?

Any mother who, immediately after giving birth, watches her newborn baby wiggling his head around and kicking the air with his feet, recognizes those same movements from when the child was in her womb. They are signs that he is alive.

So, yes. I'd felt life. And it is the most wonderful feeling in the whole world.

The Birth of a Blog

They say that the first sentence in any speech (or in this case--a blog) is the hardest. 

Whew! Glad that's over.

So I went and did it--I started a blog.

First things first:  A little bio--I am currently the mother to 13 children, ages 1 to 20.  Of those 13, I am home schooling 8 (or 9--I wouldn't want to leave out the one who is MOST excited about starting Kindergarten, even though he won't be 5 until next February).  They range in grades from Kindergarten to Senior in high school. 

Ha!  We're a one room school house!  Except that we work in 2 or 3 rooms of the house. 

So anyway, last weekend I attended our annual IHM National Home School Conference in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and it made me realize two very important things:

1.) I am actually doing a fairly good job with regard to organization of our school and home.  (I owe a LOT of this to my husband who would make a stellar drill sergeant.)

and

2.) I have more to learn than is humanly possible in one lifetime.

Le sigh.

STILL--I am I.N.S.P.I.R.E.D.

I am inspired to be a better person; a better wife; a better mother.  And I really, really need to learn how to write, so I can help my kids learn how to write.  And in order to do that, I must EDUCATE myself.  In order to educate myself, I must read.  A lot.  And write.  A lot.  And spend less time on Facebook.  Dang.

As a teenager and young woman, I kept a journal(s) of my thoughts, dreams, experiences, etc.  I think it's a good thing for anyone to do.  So that's what I'm doing now.  Only instead of tucking it away in my nightstand drawer or packing it up in a storage box in the attic, I'm putting it out in cyberspace where it will NEVER GO AWAY.  So I must be a little more careful about what I say, right?

Still, I will try to keep it honest.

I just have one request for the two people who might actually read this blog (hi, mom!):

Please give me suggestions for topics.