Tea at Trianon: Five Tips for Morning Time

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Monday, March 14, 2016

Five Tips for Morning Time

From Classically Homeschooling:

1. Start Small
First we need to start small. Don’t plan a three hour morning time right off the bat. The kids will never sit still that long. Instead begin with something small, but something important to you. This could be a prayer or poem to memorize. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to start the day by reading a chapter out of The Hobbit. Maybe picture study has been nagging you for several months now. Choose one thing to begin, and do it every morning.

2. Use a Signal to Begin
I’ve heard of families using signals to signify that morning time is about to begin. Bells, alarms, or music can be used. There’s always the old standby of calling for the kids to meet you in the kitchen. Using a bell or music to let children know it’s time for morning time creates a sense of ritual. It becomes a beautiful part of the day, not just mom racing around the house nagging everyone to come to the kitchen.

3. Have a Plan
Nothing is worse than collecting the kids and herding them to the table just to realize you have no idea what to do. Have you ever done that? I certainly have! I end up trying to ad lib morning time while the kids get more and more restless. My advice, don’t try to ad lib morning time. Have a plan for what you’d like to do and stick with it. Otherwise you’ll end up with a cheerful riot on your hands. (Read more.)