Growing Up

We're celebrating two milestones this week:

1. Our older son just had his first ever t-ball practice this week. We bought him a baseball glove the night before his first practice, so that was literally the first time he's ever tried to catch a baseball with a glove.

2. Son number 2 no longer wears pull-ups to bed. Just big-boy underwear. Yahoo!

Also, I just read the news that Terri Schiavo has died. It's too bad the governor and president couldn't muster up the courage to enforce Congress' will regarding a new trial, with a completely new presentation of the facts. Sad, sad commentary on America.

How 'bout It, Science?

From Dr. Mercola's Blog:

Bread: The Half-Baked Truth Revealed
1. More than 98 percent of convicted felons are bread users.

2. Fully HALF of all children who grow up in bread-consuming households score below average on standardized tests.

3. In the 18th century, when virtually all bread was baked in the home, the average life expectancy was less than 50 years; infant mortality rates were unacceptably high; many women died in childbirth; and diseases such as typhoid, yellow fever, and influenza ravaged whole nations.

4. Every piece of bread you eat brings you nearer to death.

5. Bread is associated with all the major diseases of the body. For example, nearly all sick people have eaten bread. The effects are obviously cumulative:
* 99.9 percent of all people who die from cancer have eaten bread
* 99.7 percent of the people involved in air and auto accidents ate bread within 6 months preceding the accident
* 93.1 percent of juvenile delinquents came from homes where bread is served frequently

6. Evidence points to the long-term effects of bread eating: Of all the people born since 1839 who later dined on bread, there has been a 100% mortality rate.

7. Bread is made from a substance called "dough." It has been proven that as little as a teaspoon of dough can be used to suffocate a lab rat. The average American eats more bread than that in one day!

8. Primitive tribal societies that have no bread exhibit a low incidence of cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, and osteoporosis.

9. Bread has been proven to be addictive. Subjects deprived of bread and given only water to eat begged for bread after as little as two days.

10. Bread is often a "gateway" food item, leading the user to "harder" items such as butter, jelly, peanut butter, and even cold cuts.

11. Bread has been proven to absorb water. Since the human body is more than 80 percent water, it follows that eating bread could lead to your body being taken over by this absorptive food product, turning you into a soggy, gooey bread-pudding person.

12. Newborn babies can choke on bread.

13. Bread is baked at temperatures as high as 400 degrees Fahrenheit! That kind of heat can kill an adult in less than one minute.

14. Most bread eaters are utterly unable to distinguish between significant scientific fact and meaningless statistical babbling.

In light of these frightening statistics, we propose the following bread restrictions:

1. No sale of bread to minors.

2. A nationwide "Just Say No To Toast" campaign complete celebrity TV spots and bumper stickers.

3. A 300 percent federal tax on all bread to pay for all the societal ills we might associate with bread.

4. No animal or human images, nor any primary colors (which may appeal to children) may be used to promote bread usage.

5. The establishment of "Bread-free" zones around schools.

Vouchers

I thought this was a good article on the problems with educational vouchers. Very articulate.

Time: It's All Relative

As you may or may not know, if you look on a map, you will find a dotted line around our 7 acres of property denoting that our family lives in a different time zone. We actually operate on the same schedule as people who live 2-3 time zones west of us. And here we are at the end of March, with the big TIME CHANGE looming up before us. That means that without doing anything to change our schedule, after the time change we will be waking up around 10:30 am. Our littlest one will be waking up around noon, and napping from 5:30-7:30 or 8:00 pm. We will eat dinner around 8:00 pm, and I won't be asleep until 2 am or so. If our previous "schedule" was crazy, this would be bordering on the ABSURD. So I'm TRYING this week to adjust to an earlier schedule by about 15 minutes each day. It is my hope that we will make it to church on Sunday before the sermon ends.

Toy Update

So it's been about two weeks since I started confiscating toys. When I first started doing this, I figured that either the kids would get the idea to pick things up when they finished playing with them, or they would eventually have NO TOYS left to play with. I think they're going for the second option. The pile o' toys in my bedroom is growing by the day, and they're beginning to get in my way (and in my husband's way, ESPECIALLY). Something now has to be done with this pile o' toys, and I'm not likely to just organize them neatly and set them back out where they can be dis-organized in 1/1000th of the amount of time it would take me to organize them. Not the preferred way of allotting my valuable time. Anyone need a few toys?

Easter Happenings

We had a lovely Easter celebration with our family. As I know my mom would say, there's nothing funner than celebrating Jesus. The only downer was that my dear sister and her family were not able to make it. We missed her! And I missed her desserts, too! She makes great chocolate treats for our family get-togethers, and Easter was my sugar-free diet day off. The only other chocolate at the family dinner was (what else) Easter candy. The cherry delight was good, though, Mom. But as I say, treats without chocolate in them is just a waste of sugar.

So I had my small portion of cherry delight, and then when we got home I levied a mommy tax on my kids' chocolate candy. They've got more than enough, and...it's not good for them anyway. When it comes to candy, we don't believe in private property in our home. We're more like a benevolent socialist dictatorship.

Mom and Dad had small Easter baskets for the kids after following clues in scavenger-hunt fashion. They splurged on treats and little toys from Wal-Mart for the baskets. It was a little embarrassing to have my 4-year-old give his bubblegum-shaped eggs back to my dad, telling him he doesn't want them. "They'll turn my teeth black." Oh well. I guess you can't unteach your kids just to avoid an awkward moment. I noticed he didn't give the rest of the candy back, though.

Of course, I bought a few things for our kids' Easter baskets. I only bought a few pieces of (chocolate) candy, though. The risk of buying too much chocolate is not necessarily that my kids will get too much candy (although I don't want that either), but that I will eat all the candy before it even reaches their baskets. I hid their baskets and made up clues for a scavenger hunt for them to follow in order to find their baskets.

So we had a scavenger hunt here at home before church, and then there was also a scavenger hunt at Grandma and Grandpa's house in the afternoon. This was my older son's first experience with scavenger hunts (at least since he learned to read and write), and now he is all about SCAVENGER HUNTS. Last night he spent HOURS cutting out little pieces of paper, writing clues on them, and taping them to various places in the house. Every few minutes he would ask me if I wanted to do a scavenger hunt. He used clues like "Look in the bedroom" (can we get a little more specific here?), and "Go to the refrigerator" (he needed help spelling 'refrigerator').

I'm trying to think of a way to harness that "scavenger hunt" energy for learning in school. But my mind is drawing a blank. Must be all that sugar I ate.

Do-It-Yourself

And now for a bit of much needed...(ahem) levity, here's an idea for all you rejected artists out there: just take your rejected artwork to your nearest world-famous art gallery. Sneak it inside past the guards, and hang it up yourself! (Don't forget your hammer and picture hooks.) The guy who tried this said "Obviously, they've got their eye a lot more on things leaving than things going in, which works in my favour."

The Greatest Story

I apologize that all my posts lately have been about Terri. It seems that's about all I can think about these days. You all know how I feel, and if you want to keep up on the news, try WorldNetDaily (link in the sidebar). And avoid ABCNNBCBS at all costs. I've also been very disappointed with FOXNews in this whole thing. They're supposedly "Fair and Balanced". I disagree.

So I will move on now, and you can just know that even though I'm writing about something else, I'm still THINKING about Terri. So I hope what you read next will make sense.

I LOVE the Bible story book I'm using to read to my children. It's the Child's Story Bible, by Catherine F. Vos. No fluff, no nonsense. Just the facts. Violence and all. Do you realize how violent God was in Old Testament times? People, too. There was a lot of killing, sacrificing...it wasn't pretty. My kids have heard it all. Even my innocent little girl (she eats raisins in her high chair while I read). I think it's good for them to know the truth. Some people might say I should protect my children from hearing such things. To me, training them up in the way they should go includes helping them to understand our depraved condition as human beings, the power of God to mete out justice, and that the only hope for us is to throw ourselves at His feet asking for mercy. Sounds like I have a negative view of life, but THAT is foundational for knowing true joy and having a positive view of life.

All of this is why I have a concern for the way children are presented the crucifixion-resurrection story. Here's one way:

"Jesus' friends watched as the soldiers put Jesus our King on a cross and made him stay there until he died. Then they took Jesus from the cross and brought his body to a lovely garden. In that garden was a special place called a tomb. Gently they laid Jesus' body inside the tomb and rolled a big stone in front of it. The garden was quiet; the sad day was over."

There also seem to be a proliferation of pictures that portray Jesus as being tied to the cross with ropes.

Why the hesitation to tell the whole truth about the crucifixion? I realize that some children are more sensitive than others, but is that really a good excuse to "dumb down" the gospel, and even mislead them into believing things that never happened (what's up with the ropes?)? What story is more important than this one? Isn't it imperative to get it right?

That Mercy Thing

I just heard the news that the Supreme Court rejected the Schindler family's appeal. If I lived in Florida, I would be out there with the other lunatics, trying to take a cup of water to Terri. You would have to come bail me out of jail. If the governor and/or the president do not send in troops, I predict there will be a lot of Christians who will no longer support a Bush in any public office (and I will be one of them).

What we really need today is an Elijah to call down fire from heaven onto those perpetrating this crime. You KNOW that God must be getting angrier by the moment. Just think of the power He revealed in Old Testament times. He's still the same God, and He could do the same things today! Sometimes it's hard to understand what it is that He's waiting for.

I suppose it's because of that "mercy thing". What is really hard for me, is realizing that without His mercy, I would be in the same boat as the evil (and I mean EVIL) Michael Schiavo, Judge Greer, and George Felos. I would be the one at the receiving end of the fire from heaven. Ouch. A deep thought, but true nonetheless. I guess I should will the end to my anger, and just cry and pray for more mercy.

And still more...

Another link

And another

Menace

I would be so proud if this was my son. This boy is obviously a menace to society. Don't you feel better now that he's off the streets???

Toy Reform

My daily "high blood pressure moment": toy pick-up time. I'm blessed that I don't have to spend an hour each day in rush-hour traffic, but that doesn't mean I don't have times when I feel like tearing my hair out. They're everywhere - wall to wall toys. I am not a maniacal mother intent on keeping all joy out of her children's lives by throwing out every toy in the house. All I crave is a little moderation here.

I'm one of those individuals who feel that if a child is physically able to get a toy out, he should be able to put it away. My children can put them away, but it would take the entire day for them to do it if I made them do it all.

About a year ago I read an article by a Catholic woman named Regina Doman about toys. This mother claimed to be a "toy reductionist". While she clearly has some different ideas than I do about toys, I can certainly sympathize. And her article got me to thinking about toys in general.

The basic problem seems to be the sheer number of toys, and the fact that most of these toys have a large number of small pieces. Take for example your basic shape sorter. They're great for helping little ones learn to recognize shapes. But each shape somehow inevitably ends up in a different corner of the house, minus the few that wind up at the bottom of the toy box. Multiply that by several dozen different toys with small pieces, and you've got your basic recipe for CHAOS. Especially when I'm sure we probably have more than just several dozen different toys with small pieces. My husband has been tempted at times to bring a shovel into the house (or even a bulldozer), to clear a path through the living areas.

I suppose we could make our children keep all of their toys in their rooms, and never bring them out to the living area, but that thought just doesn't "jive" with me. I like to have my children playing in the living area. I don't want them to feel like I'm not interested in having them close to me (not true!).

Also, the mess itself is not an issue. Of course children will make messes. That's what they do best. What I'm having a problem with is the relative size of the mess. It's the zillions of little pieces. Which is a shame, because many of these toys I would consider to be educational. Legos, construction sets, Mr. Potato Head (not that I consider Mr. Potato Head educational), Legos, wooden blocks, doctor kits, Legos, puzzles, shape sorters...Did I mention Legos?

Here is what I want: I want my children to be able to clean up their toys in 10 minutes in the morning right before school starts. To that end, I have begun "encouraging" ;-) them to pick up their toys as they go along throughout the day. Then in the morning, I give them 10 minutes to clean up, and whatever they aren't able to pick up, I confiscate. It is my hope that they will figure out on their own that it is in their best interest to keep their things picked up. Otherwise they will lose them.

Lest you think I'm a complete toy scrooge: when they are able to pick up all their toys in ten minutes, they are allowed to pick one toy to pull out of the confiscated toy heap. That hasn't happened very many times yet. Pretty soon, they'll either get the idea or they won't have any toys left to play with. I suppose I would be ok with either proposition.

Ahhhh...I can feel my blood pressure returning to normal proportions already.

Eyewitness Account

If you are following the Schiavo case at all, you should read this.

There's More...

I wasn't going to post anything more on this topic, but this is just incredible. Terri Schiavo actually spoke this afternoon: she said she wanted to live. There were several witnesses to this, yet they still removed the feeding tube. Unbelievable. I'm so mad about this, I think there's smoke coming out of my ears. And I don't get riled up easily.

An Important Case

I read this transcript of ABC News' Nightline when Michael Schiavo was interviewed earlier this week along with his lawyer, George Felos. Boy, those two are slick!

Quote #1:
"Terry will not be starved to death. Her nutrition and hydration will be taken away. This happens across this country every day.

Death through removing somebody's nutrition is very painless. That has been brought to the courts many of times. Doctors have come in and testified. It is a very painless procedure."

What is up with that? I guess removing someone's nutrition and hydration isn't the same as starving them to death. Maybe I'm clueless. I don't see the difference. And I can't imagine it being a painless procedure.

Quote #2:
"BURY (the interviewer): The parents also argue that you have moved on with your life, that you now have children that you're with, another woman, and that you could, essentially, divorce Terri and relinquish guardianship to them. Why don't you do that?

SCHIAVO: If I moved on with my life — and I moved on with a portion of it — but I still have a big commitment to Terri. I made her a promise."

I wonder exactly which promise he's referring to, and why that promise is more important than the promise to remain faithful to his wife.

I read on another blog the story of a woman in a similar situation to Terri's. She has since recovered, and says she was able to understand everything happening around her, but couldn't communicate. The doctors said she was in a vegetative state, unable to feel anything. They were way off on that one.

I know a lot has been written about this story. It seems like overdoing it to even add my two cents' worth. But this case is huge! The Michael Schiavo's of the world are arguing that this "taking off of life support" happens all the time across the country, and it's wrong to be making a big deal about this one, single case, just because Terri has become something of a celebrity. I disagree.

Another Surprise for Amey

We visited a health food store today. A "hippie"-run health food store. Next to the natural, organic supplements were the packages of incense. You would have laughed to see the five of us; walking up and down the aisles, checking out the soy ice cream and the organic sugar-free granola; listening to the driving, hillbilly, hippie music. Of course, shopping with three children 5 and under is always an experience, and this was no different (I wouldn't want it to be different anyway!:-).

My husband bought a "treat" for the kids: 100% whole wheat honey graham crackers, sweetened only with honey and unsulphured molasses. We got back into our van after shopping, and he pulled those graham crackers out. "Who wants a cookie?" "I DO!!!" We hadn't eaten yet. Of course all three of them wanted a cookie.

They LOVED those graham crackers. I tried one. Not sweet at all. Imagine a graham cracker that's not sweet.

This always shocks me when it happens. I don't know why I even doubt that my kids will like something that's good for them. They have proven me wrong more than once - with reading material, coloring (maps!), food, television. What an adventure it is, just hanging out with these guys!

Don't worry, we didn't buy any of the incense.

Weather

Just read the weather forecast. Sounds like a warm up is coming. We're finally going to get up to our NORMAL average temperature.

Sugar-Free Again!

Time to celebrate! I've been sugar-free now for 6 days! That's the hardest part - the first few days. I think I can make it now without caving in. I've had the problems associated with sugar withdrawal: headache, mental fog (do I hear laughter?), and sugar craving. Just keep me away from the Easter candy aisle at Wal-Mart.

I recently re-read this article, which I had saved in my bookmarks a long time ago. It is called "Family Nutrition 101", and it has some EXCELLENT information in it for anyone interested in eating more healthfully.

Since I've been off of sugar last week, this article gave me an idea of a good-for-you sweet treat. It turned out great! You just mix plain yogurt (no flavors or sugars), real maple syrup, and blueberries (mine were from the freezer). YUM! Much better for you than the flavored yogurt with sugar in it. Yogurt is great to help the good bacteria in your body, especially if you've been on antibiotics anytime over the last few years. Unfortunately, the sugar in the little flavored yogurt cups decreases its effectiveness. It's better to use a natural sweetener (honey or real maple syrup), and best to use no sweetener at all.

Hopefully my energy level will pick up once I'm completely through with the sugar withdrawal. But all bets are off on Easter morning.

My Self-Taught Geographer

Anticipating teaching U.S. geography to my children "someday", I bought a large-sized notepad of blank maps of the United States with the states' borders outlined for kids to color or write in. Recently I gave the notepad to my 4-year-old, just to see what he would do with it. He has spent HOURS carefully coloring in each state, map after map. He also identifies "ENEBERASKA" without help (he doesn't live anywhere near Nebraska).

I guess this home education stuff is easier than I thought it would be. Just buy the materials and they teach themselves! :-)

Speaking of home education, I've been reading this home educator's blog, and this one short set of comments is cracking me up tonight, so I just have to post a link.

Chick News

We now have 4 chicks and 2 ducklings - newly hatched - under a heat lamp in our basement. Our local farm supply store just got them in yesterday, so the whole family drove through the snow yesterday afternoon to get them. We got white rock chickens and white pekin ducks. These varieties seem to do great around children, who inevitably chase them, pick them up, and drop them, almost constantly. The chicks are from the pullet bin, so they all should grow into to egg-laying hens (you know that's what matters to ME).

I wanted to try getting some guinea chicks. I have heard that they will remove virtually every single tick in your yard. That's good. But also, they are very loud (the hatchery literature says that they "sound the alarm" when someone comes into your yard). Partly good, but partly bad. So I was thinking we might try TWO guineas, and if they drive us nuts with their noise, we'd just eat them. We found out that you have to special order them, and the minimum order is FIFTY. FIFTY guineas! If those things are as loud as I've been told, who would want FIFTY guineas?!? Yikes!

Chocolate is a Health Food

I have gone two whole days now without sugar, and then I came across this article about chocolate: Does eating chocolate help you stay healthy? Apparently, the key is to eat dark chocolate that contains at least 70% cocoa.

This comes from a health blog I have been reading lately. I have found a couple of things this doctor says that I disagree with (emotional and psychological health, mainly), but most of it is really good. He posts a lot of information each day. I like how he focuses on underlying problems rather than just treating symptoms. One recent blog entry talks about the high amounts of trans-fat in Girl Scout cookies. I like the ones with coconut in them...what are they called? But that trans-fat stuff is something to avoid!

What Type of Homeschooler Are You?

Another crazy quiz. No jokes about the results, please.


Mr. Potato Head You have your ideal of how things
should look, but youre flexible enough to allow
for change. You are not bothered by changing
methods, mid-course if necessary. You use an
eclectic combination of curriculum sources.
Visit my blog:


What Type of Homeschooler Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

One of the Two Things We Can Be Sure of

This article is short, and to the point - about tax reform. It makes sense, doesn't it, that all the tax reform in the world doesn't mean a thing unless spending is reduced? If we continue to spend a lot now, but cut taxes, it only guarantees a tax hike in the future, right? I know economically it's a lot more complex than this, if you consider the pros and cons of debt, the influence of the stock market, and the federal reserve setting interest rates, and on and on. Blah, blah, blah. I don't really understand how all of these things effect each other, but I'm interested in knowing why reducing all the entitlement spending is not a big issue (is it only because of lobbyists and the promise of a vote?). It makes sense that it should be cut. So why isn't it? Am I missing something?

Movie Reviews

Here are some thoughts on a few movies we've watched recently:
Swiss Family Robinson - I can't believe I've never seen this movie until now. It was so good. The humor is great, and the plot is super. There is a scene where an elephant and a tiger are fighting. I'm sure the PETA people aren't too happy about that. Also, the men (and boys) protect the ladies, which probably makes the feminists mad. There was also plenty of violence, but in an appropriate context (defending the family). So, all in all, a very good movie in many ways (haha).

Old Yeller - I had seen this one before, but it had been a while. Also very good, especially for boys. I liked the first one better, though.

Clarence the Cross-eyed Lion - This was one of the stupidest movies I've ever seen. The back of the video case says it's rated 'G', and one of the reviews says "ideal for the children". This movie had NO PLOT. I'm still not sure exactly what it was about. There were a few scenes that were clearly not intended for children.

Signs of Spring

The forecast still calls for COLD weather ahead, but I was in the yard this morning and noticed that I have bulbs sprouting in the flowerbed. Strangely, I didn't see the crocuses up, just the daffodils, and I think a few tulips even. Usually we get the crocuses first, then the daffodils, then the tulips a bit later.

The chicks and ducklings are in at the local farm supply store, and we are thinking of getting a few more. Last spring was our first attempt at raising chickens and ducks. We still don't know much about it (we're just "winging" it, actually - haarrr!); but after starting out with 6 birds, one year later we still have 4. I'd say that's pretty good for beginners. I suppose we've adopted a learn-as-you-go philosophy by default. We haven't worked hard on research about raising the birds, but have just naturally learned a little along the way (that's still not very much).

Grandma is itching to get out and plant her peas. What's taking so long, Grandma?!? Snow hasn't stopped you before! Go for it! :-) I'd like to have some peas myself. There's nothing like peas fresh out of the garden. Canned peas are blech, frozen peas are tolerable, and garden-fresh peas are heavenly. I tried planting them last year, but they just didn't grow very well.

Well, I have March 20 marked on my calender, and it can't come too soon for me! Please, Lord, no April snowstorms this year???

Wisdom From a Four-Year-Old

"If you put your carrots in your mustard, they won't taste like ladybugs!"

This and That...

I just finished the most disgusting household chore known to man (or woman), and if you don't know what I'm talking about, then you've never had (or been) a little boy.

I also gathered eggs this afternoon, produced by our three hens (we think only two of them are actually laying). One of them had started a secret place to lay her eggs, but today I found her out. I suppose this is the down side to free-range chickens. Unless you enjoy scavenger hunts. I am always amazed when I bring in eggs. I don't know why, but it just seems miraculous to me that all you have to do is keep a few birds around the yard, and in exchange you get eggs for cooking. You don't even have to feed them in the summer. They find their own food. We buy cracked corn to feed them in the winter, but the big bags we get are pretty cheap (cheep? haha), and they last for a long time.

Our duck is doing great! Her feathers are growing back, and she's itching to get out of her pen to roam around the yard and explore the pond again. We're keeping her in the pen until the pond melts. We figure that if that hawk bothers her again, she should at least have the water she can dive into to escape. This doesn't work so well when the pond is frozen solid (Hooray for March...is it spring yet???).

I tried a new bread recipe this week, and it flopped. I don't know if it was bad yeast, or if it was just me. I hate it when anything with yeast in it doesn't turn out well. Should I try it again with different yeast? Or will it be a complete waste of time and money?

Say Cheese!

This article made me smile. It's a study on the value of a smile. :-)

Parallel Living

I read an excellent article last night called Living Parallel Lives in the Same Space. It was in the last string of articles on Ladies Against Feminism. This one is by Michael Pearl. In it, he advises a woman who has written that she feels she and her husband are living "across a river" from their children. His answer is great. If you have kids, you should read it. It's rather long, but it is worth it.

This is such an observable problem in Christian families - parents and children living disconnected lives, and I think Mr. Pearl hits the nail on the head. It is such a temptation for me, too, to go from one task to another, each day slipping by full of tasks, without really stopping to get involved in my children's little projects (although their projects get bigger as they get bigger).

Not only do we need to get involved in their projects, but we need to involve them in ours. We need them to know that they are important in running the household, and that what they say, do, and pray matters to God. That is why I bristle at the idea of spending all of Sunday morning at church away from my children (they never even have to come into the sanctuary with the rest of the adults). And that is why we need to respect their ideas and take them seriously when they want to be taken seriously.

Teaching our children to be "independent", in my opinion, is highly overrated. Or, perhaps it's only mis-defined. I would say that spending all of your time in your room playing video games is not independence, it's self-centered. Learning to pour your own milk or tie your shoelaces is the proper kind of independence to teach a child.

Meditation

Here's one of my favorite Bible passages (just thought I'd share):

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:36-39