Jennifer Lambert

A Sacred Balance

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Celebrating St. Valentine

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February 5, 2019 By Jennifer Lambert Leave a Comment

Valentine’s Day is a huge holiday, but there’s a rich religious history and interesting legends behind it.

My husband and I don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day. We’ve never been without kids. I don’t like to eat out. We don’t like crowds. We often just stay home, quiet, and maybe make a special family meal and set out some pretty spring decorations.

I try to make holidays special for the kids and often do theme homeschool activities. We’ve gone to homeschool Valentine parties so they can exchange traditional cards like school kids.

Now that they’re older, we read books about the legend and history and feast day and just have fun, eat yummy food, and await springtime.

Legends of St. Valentine

  • History.com
  • Catholic.org
  • Catholic Education
  • Catholic Herald
  • An Irish Connection

How We Celebrate St. Valentine’s Day:

  • Favorite Valentine Books
  • Valentine Conversation Hearts Math
  • Preschool Activities
  • Montessori Trays
  • Montessori and Sensory Bins
  • Sensory Bin
  • Special Meals
  • Parent Kid or Family Dates
  • Game Night
  • Movie Night

Valentine Resources:

  • Notebooking Pages
  • The Kennedy Adventures
  • February Saints Books
  • Printable Valentines
  • Bible Printables
  • The Homeschool Mom
  • Living Montessori Now
  • Hip Homeschool Moms
  • The Pioneer Woman
  • I Choose Joy
  • The Homeschool Scientist
  • Heart and Soul Homeschooling
  • Bethany Ishee
  • Homeschool Helper Online
  • Homegrown Learners
  • Proverbial Homemaker
  • The Natural Homeschool
  • Homeschool Share
  • DLTK
  • Hands on as We Grow
  • PreK Pages
  • A Slice of Smith Life

How do you celebrate Valentine’s day as a family?

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Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: faith, February, Rome, saint, Valentine

Michelangelo Unit Study

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October 11, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert 6 Comments

We’ve traveled to Rome and Florence and studied Michelangelo’s art extensively.

Michelangelo was a true Renaissance man: sculptor, painter, poet, engineer, architect.

Michelangelo Unit Study
His memorial is in Santa Croce church in Florence:

Michelangelo's Tomb in Santa Croce

Some of our favorites:

The Doni Tondo at the Uffizi Museum in Florence.

Tondo means “in the round.” Michelangelo designed the frame, but didn’t create this one. Michelangelo hated painting, especially portrait painting.

Funny story has it that the minor nobleman who commissioned this piece for his bride’s wedding gift disliked the peasant look of the Holy Family and the nudes in the background, so refused to pay. Michelangelo had a fit and doubled the price. They went back and forth, even shouting in the streets, and all of Florence watched it like a tennis match until he finally agreed to pay.

Doni Tondo by Michelangelo
Michelangelo’s 4 Slaves or Prisoners at the Accademia Gallery in Florence:

He designed these (and the Moses) for the tomb of Pope Julius II, that was never completed.

Michelangelo’s Slaves or Prisoners
Also, St. Matthew at the Accademia Gallery in Florence:

He was commissioned to complete all 12 apostles for the city of Florence, but they were not completed after the Republic government fell.

St. Matthew by Michelangelo
Palestrina Pietà at the Accademia Gallery in Florence:

May or may not be Michelangelo. There’s very little info about it.
Palestrina Pietà
The David, of course! At Accademia Gallery.

He won a contest to create a statue for the city of Florence from a damaged block of marble that had been lying open to the elements for almost 50 years.
The David
The Deposition, also called the Florence Pietà, the Bandini Pietà or The Lamentation over the Dead Christ, and thought to be a self-portrait as the face of Nicodemus. At the Duomo Museum.

Giorgio Vasari noted that Michelangelo began to work on the sculpture around the age of 72. Without commission, Michelangelo worked tirelessly into the night with just a single candle to illuminate his work. Vasari wrote that he began to work on this piece to amuse his mind and to keep his body healthy. After 8 years of working on the piece, Michelangelo would go on and attempt to destroy the work in a fit of frustration. Vasari gave several reasons why Michelangelo destroyed his Florentine pieta:

“…Either because of defects in the marble, or because the stone was so hard | that the chisel often struck sparks, or because he was too severe a judge J of his own work and could never be content with anything he did. It is | true that few of his mature works were ever completed and that those entirely finished were productions of his youth. Such were the Bacchus, the Pieta of the Madonna della F^ebbre [in Saint Peter’s], il Gigante [the David], at Florence, and the Christ Risen of the Minerva [Santa Maria sopra Minerva], which are finished to such perfection that a single grain could not be taken from them without injury. Michelangelo often said that, if he were compelled to satisfy himself, he should show little or nothing. The reason is obvious: he had attained such knowledge in art that the slightest error could not exist without his immediate dis- covery of it. But once it had been seen in public, he would never attempt to correct it, but would begin a new work, for he believed that a similar failure would not happen again. He often declared that this was the reason that the number of his finished works was so small.”
The Deposition by Michelangelo

In Rome, we stood in awe of The Pietà, in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Michelangelo's Pieta

Also, we kept putting in a Euro to light up the chapel with the statue of Moses, in St. Peter Vincoli:

Michelangelo's Moses

Shhh…we snuck a picture of the Sistine Chapel ceiling at the Vatican:

Sistine Chapel Ceiling

We love traveling to see art and history come alive!

Activities:

  • Notebooking with famous art and artists printable pages from Productive Homeschooling.
  • We made our own paints from natural materials when we reviewed Michelangelo for Kids. There are 21 educational activities in that book!
  • We made little frescoes of our own and realized how difficult it is!

Alex painted a beach scene.

Beach Scene Fresco

Katie painted a river with flowers on the bank.

Flowery Riverbank Fresco

Tori painted a fruit basket.

Fruit Bowl Fresco

In the morning, they were dry and the colors were faded. We realize how precise and complicated making the perfect consistency of plaster is for the colors to stay true. We used liquid watercolors, which probably aren’t the best for fresco-painting.

Michelangelo is one of our favorite artists of all time!

Resources:

Mixing with the Masters Mixed Media Workshop, Volume One

I also like this art website.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Agony and the Ecstasy: A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo by Irving Stone.

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Filed Under: Europe, Florence, Homeschool, Italy, Rome, Travel Tagged With: art, Florence, history, Rome, travel, unit study

Bernini Unit Study

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October 6, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert 1 Comment

We fell in love with Bernini’s sculpture in Rome.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini is considered the founder of Baroque art.

Bernini Unit Study

Bernini designed and created the Chair of Saint Peter, also known as the Throne of Saint Peter, AND St. Peter’s Baldachin, a large Baroque sculpted bronze canopy, technically called a ciborium or baldachin, over the high altar of St. Peter’s Basilica.

We got to witness The Pope give Christmas morning Mass and saw the Chair and Baldachin up close!

Altar of the Chair of Peter

We got to quickly explore the area near the altar after the Pope and Cardinals left the floor of St. Peter’s Basilica to prepare for the Christmas Benediction from the balcony.

St. Peter's Baldachin

Bernini also designed the piazza and colonnade in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. Also, at the Vatican, he is responsible for the Scala Regia (1663–66), the monumental grand stairway entrance to the Vatican Palace, along with the Cathedra Petri, the Chair of Saint Peter, in the apse of St. Peter’s, and the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament in the nave.

Around Rome:

The Turtle Fountain in the Jewish district is a favorite with Tori, love of all turtles and tortoises!

Bernini's Turtle Fountain
Fountain of the Moor in Piazza Navona
Fontana del Moro by Bernini
Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona
Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi by Bernini
Fountain of the Old Boat by Pietro Bernini, father of Gian. This is near the Spanish Steps.
Fontana della Barcaccia by Bernini

We visited the Borghese Gallery in Rome, which houses so many Bernini sculptures:

I have to say that I really, really, really love Bernini’s David.

Bernini's David

Hades and Persephone are so lifelike. The fingers pressing into her thigh!

The Rape of Proserpina
The Rape of Proserpina Front

Apollo and Daphne. Her fingers are turning into leaves.

Apollo and Daphne

We also saw the statue of Aeneas, Anchises, and Ascanius from the Aeneid and the unfinished Truth Unveiled by Time. Spectacular.

Bernini’s family tomb is in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.

Bernini Family Tomb in Santa Maria Maggiore

We’re on our way to see more Bernini sculpture at The Louvre and Versailles. Stay tuned for photos. Follow us on Instagram!

The Sleeping Hermaphroditus in The Louvre:

sleeping-hermaphroditus

The Bust of Louis XIV in the Salon of Diana at Versailles:

bust-of-louis-xiv

We carved our own statues from soap!

It was really hard. Tori and Alex just made reliefs. Katie cut out a PokeBall. We can imagine how difficult sculpting from marble must be.

soap-carvings

Love this:

Mixing with the Masters Mixed Media Workshop, Volume One

I also like this art site.

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Filed Under: Europe, Homeschool, Italy, Rome, Travel Tagged With: art, history, Paris, Rome, travel, unit study

Rome with Kids

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July 28, 2016 By Jennifer Lambert 2 Comments

We went to Rome for Christmas.

This was our family gift. We didn’t have presents under the tree. Experiences over stuff.

Then my son asked afterwards if we can stay home next year and do presents. Sigh.

We flew on Alitalia from Frankfurt to Rome Ciampino. I know Ryanair often has really cheap tickets, but I couldn’t find any when I was planning our trip, and honestly, it was so nice to fly and check bags and get free snacks.

A driver was waiting for us. It was so much easier than worrying about how to get to our apartment. Worth every penny. We asked for a return to the airport since we left early.

We stayed at Peter’s Nest in Vatican + St. Peter, about a block over from the entrance to the Vatican Museum.

We got fresh cornetti every morning from our hostess and she kept us stocked in fresh milk and juice too! A little Carrefour Express grocery store was right beside our building, so if I had known that, I wouldn’t have paid for the pastry delivery, but it was still nice.

Our Christmas Trip to Rome

The courtyard to the apartment building had a lovely floral fountain.

Peter's Nest Courtyard Fountain
Day 1

After we got settled and freshened up, we walked over to St. Peter’s Square.
St. Peter's Square Christmas Tree
We loved seeing the huge lifesize nativity scene.
Vatican Nativity Scene
Then, we went through security to go into St. Peter’s Basilica.

And I got to see Michelangelo’s Pietà.
Michelangelo's Pieta
We walked down to Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II to see Castel Sant’Angelo.
Castle Sant'Angelo

We love the statues lining the bridge.

Angel Bridge

I highly recommend L’Isola della Pizza for incredible food. Glad we got there early for dinner – it was soon packed with locals!

The waiters brought out a medley of appetizers and salads and the kids all ordered pizza.

I love all the salads and breads and prosciutto. They brought arancini (fried rice balls) for the kids but Aaron and I loved it too! The fried artichokes were amazing.

L'Isola

It was too much food, but so amazingly delicious.

Day 2

We were at the Vatican Museum before they opened and we were ushered right on in.

I’m so glad I ordered basic tickets online. I had also ordered 4 audio guides for the kids and 2 adult audio guides for Aaron and me. The kids got great little scavenger hunt maps. We loved the guides!

We began in the Pinacoteca – the Picture Gallery.

Entrance to the Pinacoteca

It was completely empty.

We were following our audio guides and the kids’ scavenger hunts.

If I had known, we’d have scooted on down to view the Antiquities and Sistine Chapel and left the Picture Gallery for last.

We got to stare at Raphael’s tapestries and study paintings undisturbed.

I especially liked Leonardo’s St. Jerome in the Wilderness.

St Jerome in the Wilderness by Leonardo da Vinci

Then we went to the Egyptian and Etruscan Museums.

This was especially exciting for the kids since we didn’t get to experience anything or travel for those units.

Alex and Katie really loved seeing the mummy.

Mummy at Vatican Museums

Love the colors here!

Sarcophagus

They save the best for last: The Sistine Chapel.

No pictures and they have guards to hush people.

But by that time, we were hot and almost exhausted. We stayed a while, getting a crick in our necks and trying to sneak pictures with our phones.

We got takeout pizza at Forno Feliziani for lunch.

Forno Feliziani

The best gelato is at Old Bridge. We got some every single day. Super great prices and large portions.

We went to the Colosseum in the afternoon.

I ordered our tickets online and they were good on any day.

At the Colosseum

I don’t know that I’d recommend doing quite so much in one day, but we thought we could handle it. We realized our tickets included the Roman Forum and the tickets are only good for two days and we didn’t think we’d have time to go back down there the next day.

We got to look down upon Circus Maximus.

Circus Maximus

The Forum must’ve been very crowded. There was so much in such a small space!

Roman Forum

It about did me in. We barely got through it before the loudspeaker announcement that they were closing. We rushed up the stairs.

I was about ready to collapse, so I begged to take a taxi back since we had no idea where the nearest subway was and I couldn’t walk anymore. The 6-seater taxi van from Piazza Venezia to St. Peter’s Square was only €8,00!

We got takeout pizza at Forno Feliziani (yes, again) for the kids for dinner. I love that place.

Aaron and I went to The Angry Pig for gorgeous sandwiches. Our contact recommended it and the eggplant pork tenderloin sandwich was divine.

The Angry Pig sandwich

Day 3

This was Christmas Eve.

We walked to the Galleria Borghese.

Again, I bought tickets online. I super recommend that.

On the way, we stopped by Santa Maria del Popolo.

Santa Maria del Popolo

We got kicked out because they were about to start Mass. But I got a picture of the Chigi Chapel first.

Chigi Chapel

The Borghese Gardens are peaceful and lovely, even in winter.

We checked our backpack, used the toilets, got the audio guides and waited for our entrance time. The tour main entrance is outside and up the steps.

There wasn’t really any instructions for that, but I followed the crowds who seemed to know.

I was really there just to see the Bernini sculptures.

The Rape of Proserpina is amazing with its emotions and realism.

The Rape of Proserpina Front
The detail of the finger impressions:
The Rape of Proserpina

Apollo and Daphne

Apollo and Daphne

Bernini’s David in mid-action (and a self-portrait)

Bernini's David

We walked to the Spanish Steps. They were closed for repair.

But we love this fun fountain by Bernini – The Ugly Boat.

Fontana della Barcaccia by Bernini

We walked to the Trevi Fountain. Super crowded and noisy. We threw our coins in and went to find lunch.

Trevi Fountain

Nowhere on my list was open for lunch. We finally walked back to this place that smelled good when we walked by.

We got gnocchi, salad, pizza, pasta (carbonara and Bolognese), fried cod, and broiled fish.

It was delicious.

Locanda Giulietta e Romeo on Via del Lavatore:

Christmas Eve Lunch

We walked to the Pantheon. Right at dusk. Super crowded. Lighting is terrible for photos.

Pantheon at Dusk

We walked through Piazza Navona on the way back. We really weren’t that impressed.

More Bernini fountains though!

Fontana del Moro by Bernini
Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi by Bernini

We rushed back to the Carrefour Express next to our apartment building to buy some food to prepare for Christmas Day. We knew everything would be closed for the holiday.

Then we got overly expensive takeout from the only open cafe a couple blocks over. It was just ok.

Day 4

Christmas Day.

We went to St. Peter’s Square to wait for the Pope’s Christmas address.

It didn’t seem so crowded, so I wanted to wander around inside the Basilica to look at the chapels again.

We got to witness the Pope’s Christmas morning mass.

Altar of the Chair of Peter

Above the Chair are two angels bearing the tiara and keys and then a gorgeous window of Bohemian glass, divided into twelve sections as a tribute to the Twelve Apostles, and in the center, a brilliant dove.

On the left, Sts. Ambrose and Athanasius and on the right, Sts. John Chrysostom and Augustine.

St. Peter’s Chair and Canopy were both designed by Bernini.

I asked a guard if we could view the The Altar of the Crucifixion of St. Peter. He led us around the velvet ropes to a little side chapel.

Ancient tradition claims that St. Peter suffered martyrdom precisely where this altar stands. Part of the basilica is actually built on the site of Nero’s Circus.

The Altar of the Crucifixion of St. Peter

Then we heard the Pope’s Christmas address.

Pope Francis Christmas Address 2015

We went back to the apartment for lunch.

We walked through the Jewish district and found Bernini’s Turtle Fountain. Tori loves turtles.

Bernini's Turtle Fountain

We kept noticing these little plaques in the street. Later, we learned about Stoplerstein.

Stolperstein

We walked along the river, crossed over at the island, and just leisurely walked back.

Surprisingly, several restaurants were open, but we made the pasta and sauteed chicken we’d bought for dinner and it was great.

Day 5

St. Stephen’s Day. Most shops and restaurants are closed.

We visited some churches in the morning.

All the walking had been killing me, so we took the subway and it was great. Only €4,50 for our whole family one way.

Our first stop was the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano.

Papal Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran

Across the street is the Triclinium of Leo III, the apse mosaic of the former papal dining hall of remains of the old Lateran Palace.

Triclinium Leoninum

The mosaics depicts Christ with the Apostles in the center, Christ with Constantine and Pope Sylvester I on the left, and St Peter, Pope Leo III, and Charlemagne on the right. Pope Leo III has a square nimbus, showing that he was alive when it was made. The mosaic has been dated to the year 800, when Charlemagne was crowned in Rome.

The Scala Santa are inside that building, but can only be viewed on guided tours.

We ate lunch at Hosteria La Vacca M’briaca.

We looked a couple more churches.

Aaron wanted to see the Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli.

We finally made it to the Musei Capitolino.

Capitoline Hill

The museum is HUGE. The kids got audioguides and scavenger hunt papers. And they wanted to make sure they completed them.

There are many levels and courtyards with lots of sculptures and art.

Neptune Fountain

Alex was THRILLED to finally see his wolf!

Romulus and Remus

We also saw The Dying Gaul.

The Dying Gaul

We stopped in at the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore. They’d already closed their Holy Door.

We loved going to Ai Balestrari on our last night. The pizza guy made our son a reindeer pizza as a gift after we watched him prepare pizzas.

Reindeer Pizza

We were exhausted and ready to go home. Rome is lovely – busy and crowded, yet so full of art, good food, and life.

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Filed Under: Europe, Italy, Rome, Travel Tagged With: Christmas, familytravel, Italy, Rome, travel

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