And the Cat Came Back...

My neighborhood swarms with cats, and it's impossible to tell how many have homes but are outdoor cats versus which are strays. Sometimes they hold conferences at my house, all facing each other in a circle. One time Beezy and I went out on the porch to see about 7 of them having a meeting, and they all simultaneously turned their heads to stare at us. It was evidently a private meeting! And it was creepy...

Beezy is friends with many of these felines, and I wasn't thinking, when I told her we could do reading outside today, that the kitties prancing through the yard would be a bit distracting. It is spring, after all, which means mating season; but they stop to be fed and petted while they are on the prowl. Since my daughter is passionate about animals, I can't exactly tell her to ignore these visitors. We managed to do vocabulary for religion, copy work (the Sanctus from the liturgy), and reading today, which wasn't too bad considering it is Friday, which is often a light day of schoolwork anyway. Now that cats and warmer weather have come back, I will have to be extra diligent to keep Beezy on task. Luckily, due to my research on unschooling during Lent, perhaps I will be able to relax and look at the big picture of learning--daffodils blossoming in the yard (and Beezy knows their name!), visits with cats and cousins and grandparents and friends, 4-H meetings, and even Monster High church are part of the education of life.

Yes, you read that right--the Monster High dolls go to Mass, complete with music, bread (cardboard cut-up host) and wine (red yarn mixed into water), an altar, pews, altar servers, and Deuce acting as priest ("because he's the only boy," and he wears Prince Eric's suit for vestments). Beezy came up with this on her own one night at bedtime, and I hear her chanting "the mystery of faith" when she plays. Evidently my child pays attention at Mass and has absorbed the goings on. This too is Catholic curriculum!