Logically Learning Logic

My 11th grader is taking Logic, and I'm her teacher.  Now, normally most of her classes are self directed and mom tested.  However, when her Traditional Logic book arrived I knew that I would need to keep up with her.  It's not a subject she could come to me weeks into the text with a question unless I was learning it as well.  So that is what I have been doing.  I haven't been doing the exercises, but I have been taking notes and making sure I understand what is going on - until last week.

I have spent the last hour going through the last two chapters trying to figure what I was doing wrong.  My daughter has been receiving A's on her assignments, so thankfully her mother's inability to grasp the information hasn't stopped her.   She is delving deeper and deeper into the 4 stmts of logic.  I have my notes.   They are color coded.  Really.  I like to teach the class using our giant white board with different colors (All A stmts are blue, All I's are red, etc. ) and different lines relating things together.  I even take my notes in Excel so I can put things where I want easier and draw arrows, circles, etc.  I need to see it!  Anna likes a more outline type approach. (Does this explain why she is more into reading/writing and I am more into math?)  Somewhere along the line I inadvertently re-ordered my stmts.  Instead of A, I, E, O they became A, E, I, O (vowels in order).  Hey, that makes more sense to me!  And some of the information I was learning was going with the correct stmt and some was going with the incorrect one (I was mixing up my E's and I's). Anyway, that created all kinds of problems as I was learning about the distribution of terms (don't even ask...that's why I must stay on top of this class.)  So, I just finished fixing my notes.  And...NOW. I. GET. IT.  I generally don't have to "relearn" a subject when my next child takes it.  But with this class, I think I will.  But, I'm keeping my notes.  I think Nathan will more appreciate my colors and arrows (*wink* to Anna).

What are you thankful for?

Thanksgiving has been postponed a week or so at our house....so it took my dd Anna's thankful post to remind me to post one of my own.  I have a ton to be thankful for so I will limit it to only very recent events.

1.  I'm thankful that I was the only one here who was completely taken down by the flu (well, the verdict is still out on little Logan).  When does that ever happen?!  Others have been run down with mild fevers and stuff, but they seem to be rebounding already. 

2.  I'm thankful for a friend who ignored my assurances that everything would be fine and we didn't need anything, after all, my dh was home and some of my older kids can pull off a meal as well.  Instead this person drove up the driveway at 3:00 and proceeded to bring all kinds of  Thanksgiving meal type foods to the door.  They ate half the meal T night, my dh made homemade chicken noodle soup W night, and for Thanksgiving WE ALL ate the rest of our solo Thanksgiving meal, including the pie.  It wasn't necessary.  But it was SO appreciated.

3.  I'm thankful that today was uneventful sickness wise.  We watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time ever, as well as Charlie Brown Thanksgiving specials in the evening.  (Our TV goes days without being turned on, but when we're sick like this....it's generally cartoons and EWTN).  

          During the parade my kids pointed out that they are so thankful they don't live in New York City (no offense to anyone reading this who lives/or would like to live there).  They didn't appreciate the giant, well placed Victoria Secret ad on the side of the building that appeared every time the camera moved up to show a balloon coming.

Do they realize what their sign says?

I had my oil changed recently and while I was waiting to pay I saw a sign on the wall with these words on it (and the exact words are on my receipt, so yes, these are the exact words). 

[We] only:.....

1. Measured tread depth in only one place on each tire with a device that provides no exact measurement.........The tread depth may not be the same at all places on a tire.

As I was standing there and everyone was going about there business working or paying...I couldn't  help but think...doesn't anyone else find this 1.  Funny, 2.  Stupid, 3. Both?   Or maybe no one else read it?  They appeared to have gone through the effort of checking mine since each tires tread depth was listed on my receipt, but there's not much point in reading it, apparently it's useless?

Small Successes

For more inspirational small success stories click on the link above.

The....what a day version!

3/4 gal. of oil based paint on the carpet

1.  The Cat in the Hat (or...The Mom in a Hurry)


This was no time for play.
This was no time for fun.
This was no time for games.
There was work to be done.

And then I was in a hurry.
Two kids were leaving soon.
I said, "Hey, you can help me!
Quick, move the dragon cage.
Next move the kitchen island!
Step to the side, I'll move that shelf out of the way."

And, that's when I did it.

I spilled a gallon of paint all over the carpet!

The kids (mine and 2 more) all stared at me.
They thought I would blow.
But I kept rather cool.
(I'm trying to make that a rule.)


Move to the side,
I'm throwing the can out in the snow.
Quick get lots of rags,
Get some garbage bags too.
Let's sop up this mess,
Get the Bissel from the basment,
why I think what else to do.

Call the carpet cleaner.
"What do I do?"
"That wasn't the best kind of paint to spill you know, but
Use the Bissel to sop us as much as you can,
don't let it dry,
throw a wet rag on top,
we'll be there at 8 a.m. on the dot."

I cleaned the Bissel as best I could,
I've thrown out lots of rags,
and got paint on my clothes.

And all I could think,
as I cleaned up one mess after another just like that
Was that this story reminded me of,
The Cat in The Hat.

We'll see what happens at 8 a.m. - who knows. I guess on the bright side I now own a pair of painting jeans and a lovely painting sweatshirt.

I'll offer it up for a safe trip and return home for my husband (he left for Florida for a couple days for work).

 2.  We got all of our snow gear up from the basement storage Saturday morning. (OK...Nathan brought it all up.)  4 bins of coats and snow pants, 3 bins of boots, and numerous other bags full of gloves, hats, etc.  Anna and Therese brought everything back downstairs when we were done.  We set up our temporary drying rack (my dh and the boys intend to make one), hung all the coats on the hooks, and hung all the snow pants on the hooks as well but draped them over the railing alongside the staircase.  The kids got lots of time playing in the snow Saturday.  I was out for awhile but most of my time was spent helping the youngest two on and off....and on and off...and on and off.... with their gear.

3.  Cleaned the floor and the wall before our new oven was installed today.

Small Successes

For more inspirational small success stories click on the link above.


1.  Did loads and loads and loads of laundry on Saturday and got it ALL folded all by myself.
2.  Had a birthday party for my 16 year old on Sunday.
3.  I'm headed out on a rare night out with a friend tonight!

What we've been reading

My husband just finished reading this book to the kids.  They all thought it was a great.  My husband even requested we purchase a copy so we would be sure to have it around when our 2 and 5 year old would be old enough to enjoy it.

I

From the library website:	In 1940, when the Nazi invasion of Norway reaches their village in the far north, twelve-year-old Peter and his friends use their sleds to transport nine million dollars' worth of gold bullion past the German soldiers to the secret harbor where Peter's uncle keeps his ship ready to take the gold for safekeeping in the United States.

I wish I had an image for the book I've been reading but I can't seem to find one.  It is called To Africa with a Dream by Olga Marlin.  In a nutshell, it is story about the life of Olga Marlin, how she came to be a member of Opus Dei, how she went to Africa to start a school, and how she and her friends did that and so much more over the next 30 years or so.  I've had the book for a couple years and never picked it up.  I didn't think I would enjoy it.  I was so very wrong. I didn't want to put it down.

This is what I am reading now.  Another book I've had lying around for a couple years.  I love short stories of miracles!  They do exist!  We prayed to St. Josemaria Escriva 16 years ago when I was pregnant with our first child.  My ob/gyn detected that our babies heart had an extra beat.  That same week we were sent to a perinatologist who called in a couple of cardiologists.  They could find nothing wrong other than the extra beat (which they could plainly see).  We were told that our baby would probably outgrow it sometime after she was born.  We started praying to St. Josemaria and when my next ob/gyn appt. came just a week later the extra heart beat had disappeared.  A priest asked us to write a letter to those who were working on the cause of cannonization for Father Escriva and we did.  This doesn't really qualify as a definitive medical miracle because although uncommon, this could have corrected itself.  But that doesn't matter to us.  Our prayers were answered.

What are you reading? 

1.  Laid 57 more rolls of sod Saturday.
2.  Tookall  the kids to Mass Monday morning (All Saint's Day) and am taking Anna and Theresa to Mass this morning at her request.  It's Anna's 16th Birthday today!
3.  Went to Father Rocky's talk on Raising Children Wed. night...even though I had a zillion things to do.  I'm glad I went.

Litany of the Saints