Update on the Health Nuts

That would be us. OK, so we've had the microwave unplugged for two weeks now and we are still well-fed (with plenty of good, hot food, no less). During the last two weeks I have learned to cook my oatmeal breakfast on the stovetop in an actual PAN (isn't that how Laura Ingalls' Ma did it?), and I've also learned a number of good uses for our ancient toaster oven (been window shopping for toaster ovens over the internet lately, as well). So far so good!

Another recent purchase: The Maker's Diet, by Jordan Rubin. I bought this book at Wal-Mart, so it must be a "fad" book (isn't that all they stock in the book section at Wal-Mart?). Also, it's labeled as a New York Times bestseller. For some reason, I bought the book anyway, and so far (I'm about 1/3 of the way through)it has been worth it. Good stuff so far, and the author even encourages you to let your kids play in the dirt, so we're already ahead! The part I just read listed 27 things you can do if you DON'T want to have good health. Here are a few:

1. Stay out of the sun.
3. Never let them see you sweat (referring to the use of anti-perspirants).
8. Swim in chlorinated pools (chlorine - bad).
11. Get all immunization shots.
13. Expose yourself to electromagnetic energy (microwaves! cell phones, tv's, etc.)

Plenty to discuss with each one of these, and there are more listed in the book (some of which we still do, but maybe shouldn't). In case you can't tell, I'm having a blast with all this health stuff. Once I stopped eating sugar, it was EASY after that. Sugar seems to be the real hurdle with me, I guess. If only it would get me moving in the exercise and housecleaning departments...

Of Birthdays and Kites

Today my little girl turns two years old. I went gift shopping for her yesterday at Wal-Mart, and let me just say: Yahoo! Everything she wanted that I got for her was under $3. Bubbles. A kite. Crayons. A big ball. Let's hear it for little girls with simple dreams!

On a related note: why cannot Wal-Mart stock JUST PLAIN KITES? Why must we choose from one of the following: SpongeBob, Dora the Explorer, Spiderman, or Barbie princesses? How about a (*gasp*) solid red kite? Or for little ladies like mine, a pink kite with FLOWERS on it. So what did I pick? Dora, of course. I think I would have liked flowers better, though. I suppose I could take the time to make my daughter her own custom-created kite. Who would ever conceive of such a thing??? :-)

Family Education

Educational happenings at our house:

There is a robin's nest with four blue eggs in it in a very young tree in our back yard - just low enough for short people to peek in.

We've had several rainbows lately.

Last weekend we captured some tadpoles from the pond and put them in our fish tank (six or so are still alive).

An animal of some sort killed one of our chickens earlier in the week. Not good, but still educational in a sense...learning about death (this "education" was NOT graphic in nature, fortunately it did not happen close to our play area).

My husband and I are learning a little about sheep - if we like the lamb we just ordered, we may try to keep a couple of sheep next spring instead of going with a cow.

I'm reading: The Encyclopedia of Country Living, by Carla Emery. Here are some (appetizing?) things you can do with "uncommon sheep parts": Apache tripe (intestines coiled around intestinal fat and baked), fried blood and onions, traditional English sheep's head, and sheep tongues (baked in a casserole layered with bacon and vegetables). YUM!

Today's To-Do List

What we're doing today: having our piano tuned, school

What I'm baking: Bread, I hope

What's for dinner: Meatloaf (already made - yahoo!)

What we're buying: 1/2 a lamb (35 lbs?)for the freezer (almost empty)

Outside projects: Weeding, enjoying some sun and exercise

Who's coming over: Grandpa!

Household chores: Laundry

Also coming up soon: Shopping trip to Super Wal-Mart

Article to Read: Peggy Noonan - "Mr. Narcissus Goes to Washington"

The Rest of the Bluedorn Book Review

I've finished reading Teaching the Trivium: Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style, by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn. Actually, I finished it a couple of weeks ago, and since then I've been wading through the appendices and becoming distracted by other books and catalogs.

The final analysis:
The Bluedorn's did indeed assert that it is not necessary to teach formal (worksheet) mathematics until age ten. I'm not sure I necessarily agree, though. I think if you have a child that struggles a great deal with math, I might consider this. But I think that for most kids, waiting that long is not necessary. The Bluedorn's didn't seem to back up their assertion beyond saying that this is how it used to be done, and this is how various other experts think it is best.

Worksheets in any subject aren't "evil", so to speak, as long as we keep them in their place. No need to make a young child do 2 worksheets in each subject every day. That would be enough to make anyone discouraged from learning. Yet, I think there is a value in the discipline being taught to a child (older than, say 5 or 6) who must complete a page of math work.

Otherwise, I didn't find much to disagree with the Bluedorns. I appreciated the way they brought to light the ways the Bible advocates education in a classical style, which reveals the fact that classical learning was not originally Greek or Roman, but Jewish.

Overall, this book was not quite so practically helpful as The Well-Trained Mind, by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer, but philosophically it was much better, in my opinion.

Food Stuff

Just read an excellent blog at Buried Treasure Books, that covers some of the same things I wrote about a month ago regarding Christian vs. "heathen" environmentalism. The Buried Treasure post talks more about the way we treat animals, but the same principle applies: good stewardship over the earth and its resources is important, no matter how much we feel like distancing ourselves from the new-age, new world order, anti-Christian, animals-are-as-important-as-people environmentalists. I would be interested to check out the books recommended on that blog about factory farms, etc.

Here's another food-related controversy: microwave ovens. Good or bad? My husband and I are thinking about this right now. Hey, I know what you're thinking - "Now they're totally going over the edge...I mean the butter vs. transfats thing was bad enough, but now they're going to dis microwave ovens??? Why don't you just lighten up and have fun." What you don't understand is that this IS how we have fun. It only stresses YOU out, not us. haha

How To Learn Something New...

about your husband, even if you've been married for 8+ years: eat a meal at Cracker Barrel, and during the lulls in the conversation, listen to the music. Then on the way home listen to him recall the lyrics to at least half a dozen Hank Williams songs (that would be Hank Williams Senior).

Boys Need More Time

Just read this article: "Youngest Students Most Likely to Be Expelled". The article talks about how frequently children under the age of 6 are expelled from their preschools. I find it very telling that this article focuses on the usual solutions to this problem: more funding, better teacher training, etc. Yet they miss the obvious fact that these children (most often boys) are too young to be put in an institutional setting. Maybe the children being expelled are getting exactly what is BEST for them: the opportunity to stay home with their mothers for a few more years. These boys with behavior problems at such a young age, in my opinion, are suffering from premature separation from their mothers, and are not ready for ANY kind of a formal school setting. The writer of the article is assuming that being expelled from a school at the age of 3 or 4 is a bad thing. I'd say it's just what they need. Sad commentary on America.

If You Have Some Time to Kill...

I just spent far TOO MUCH time reading all the comments at the blog called "Evangelical Update". It's basically a debate in the comment section, between a number of conservative Christians, and a few "lefties". Very interesting.

I Got Him

I've got him right where I want him. My six-year-old son. He asked me to read to him a few minutes yesterday, so we read the first couple of chapters in Little Pilgrim's Progress, an edited-for-children (by Helen Taylor) version of the John Bunyan classic. We got to chapter 3, and it was "one more chapter, Mommy, please?" Then the same with chapters 4 and 5 (they are short chapters). When I stopped reading, I handed him the book, and sternly warned him to not read ANY MORE on his own without me, because I wanted to read it too.

I think he's on chapter 14. He'll just have to read it again with me later.

Another Disclaimer

I thought I'd take a moment to write another "disclaimer" about what I write in my blog. I guess I view what I write as my own little newspaper editorial page. Sometimes I wonder if it's wise to express my opinions here if there's a possibility that a real-life friend or family member will read it and feel hurt if they don't agree with it. I think that as human beings, we tend to feel personally criticized if someone expresses an opinion different than our own. I know, because I have felt this way before in the past, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. SO, just to be completely open here, I just want to say that I would never personally criticize anyone on this blog (unless you are a public figure, such as Marilyn Manson). I'm just generically giving my opinion, for whatever it's worth. Maybe what I think doesn't make a bit of difference to anyone, and that is ok.

I also realize that thinking philosophically and living real life can sometimes be two entirely different things. Here's an example:

Amey's pontification: TV is bad. We should not be watching tv so much. Let's all turn off our tv's and read a book.

Real life: Amey's kids are now watching "Muppets From Space" while she writes in her blog (it's 11 am).

So, to recap, I want to tell you that you are never being personally criticized. I'm just here, organizing my thoughts, and letting you in on them.

A disclaimer on the disclaimer: this disclaimer is in no way in response to any recent blogs. As far as I know, no one is mad at me. Thank you.

A Special Night

After dinner tonight I left the dirty dishes to get crusty, and we all went outside to enjoy the warm pre-mosquito-season evening. This is probably my favorite time of the year for that reason. The only thing that ruins evenings in the summer is mosquitos. But right now...it's perfect. Unless you count the ticks.

Once it got too dark to dig around in the flower bed, I took the kids and the dog down to the pond, where we played until after dark. My husband joined us there after he finished his outside work.

There were toads EVERYWHERE around the pond, making all kinds of racket (it would be interesting to take a decibel reading on one of those toads - I'd guess around 70). The boys spent an hour just catching toads. Son #1 had 4 toads in his hands at one point. Suffice it to say, it was a "special" night for those toads. Don't ask me how I know. I'd rather not go into the details. Yes, home education at its finest.

Great Minds

Just finished reading this rather sarcastic piece, "Great Minds Don't Think". The columnist, Eileen McNamara, pokes fun at David Parker, a father who was arrested for trespassing last week when he refused to leave the school without a promise that his child would not be exposed to any reference to single-sex parents without prior notice. Her point (after cutting through the sarcasm) seems to be that parents have no right to shape their children's views, and that doing so necessarily renders children mindless, with no critical-thinking skills or intellectual curiosity.

The writer of this article seems to think that the best education consists of exposure to every viewpoint (except the ones she disagrees with?), so that children can make up their own minds, apart from the corrupting influences of whatever "biases" their parents might have. Clearly, this is not God's plan for families.

"Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deuteronomy 6:4-7

Surprisingly, I agree with her on one point: it's impossible in a public school setting to expect that parents will be able to direct what and how their children learn. If you have strong personal beliefs that you wish to pass on to your children, these beliefs (no matter what they are) will likely be challenged in a public school. That is just the nature of public schools. If every parent demanded that their beliefs be taught exclusively, could any education ever actually take place? This just underscores the fact that there is no such thing as a spiritually "neutral education". All education promotes a particular viewpoint, including public education.

Mother's Day Greetings

Happy Mother's Day to all, but especially to my mother. I love you, Mom!

Guest Blog - By Guess Who

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A Beautiful Day

This evening my sons cleared the table AND emptied the dishwasher (almost) all by themselves. Which even makes up for the two pairs of jeans (each) they soaked by wading into the pond today. What a beautiful day.

Duty to Die

Just read another article from our friends at World Magazine illustrating the situation I wrote about last month regarding the subtle (or maybe not so subtle?) shift in the medical community from the so-called "right to die" to an enforced "duty to die". In my opinion, this shift is massively underreported and terribly unjust.

A Partial Book Review

I'm now about 2/3 of the way finished with Teach the Trivium: Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style, by Harvey & Laurie Bluedorn. Rumor has it that further on in this book, the Bluedorn's advocate waiting to teach math until children are ten years old. But I haven't gotten to that part yet.

Here is what I like about that book:
1. They are committed more to the form of classical education than the traditionally-taught classical subjects. In other words, it's more important to apply the three classical child development stages (they call them knowledge, understanding, and wisdom; Dorothy Sayers called them poll parrot, pert, and poetic) to what we do teach than to necessarily teach literature deemed "classic" by the "experts" or focus on Greek and Roman mythology.

2. The Bluedorns believe that literature commonly known as classic is valuable only insofar as it relates to furthering the kingdom of God. "Everything which is not understood in its proper relation to God is a lie. Teaching anything - no matter how innocuous it may seem - while leaving out its relation to God, is a lie. Writing a book on classical education, while leaving out its relation to God, is a lie." They actually list a number of works that they absolutely would not recommend (from ancients such as Sophocles and Aeschylus). They believe that teaching mythology (to young children, especially) can be counterproductive. They say, "We must not become caught up in the world's endless search for something new....We must not pursue miscellaneous and worthless knowledge for the sake of knowledge."

3. They promote the idea that developing self-discipline in children at a young age is more important than academics. Forging ahead academically can be a waste of time if there is no "internal structure" being formed in them. Prerequisite to this is to "promote the self-discipline of the parents. In other words, the solution is to get the parents to grow up." Obviously, if being self-disciplined is important for our children to learn, it's important for parents too (I think I needed to read that).

4. The importance of studying logic.

The Bluedorns also mention the inherent weaknesses in "regular" schools; that they usurp the authority God gave parents over their children. I read a Douglas Wilson book one time that addressed that argument, and took the opposite side. I think I'll have to look that up.

More on the Bluedorn book another day...

God Working Through Birthdays

Today's our older son's birthday. He's six years old today. I thought I'd blog today about how neglected I feel in the birthday celebration. Every time I launch into my routine ("I remember what I was doing this time six years ago...my mom came over...hospital...contractions...the nurses...blah blah blah"), I get the Look. The look that says "Mommy, my birthday is about me, not YOU".

I think God uses our children's birthdays to conform us to be more like Him. My son has no idea what I went through just to give him birth. But the celebration today is all about him. And that's the way I like for it to be - I love him so much. It's wonderful to celebrate him (one day out of the year, that is - it wouldn't do to let him become THAT self-absorbed). God does all the work to bring us into the Family, but as youngsters in the faith, we make it "all about us". He doesn't mind our childishness, even though He wants us to mature. Because He loves us so much. He enjoys giving us great blessings, even when we downplay what He's done for us. Maybe as parents, God gives us a chance every time our children have a birthday to lose a little bit more of that ungodly self-centeredness.

So today God is reminding me what He has done for me (it's really all about Him), and now I'm going to have a great time celebrating a birthday. After I make my son some pancakes and clean up the mess.

News Flash: TV Makes You Smarter!

Couch potatoes sprout bigger brains watching TV. Pardon me while I laugh hysterically. This is the most ridiculous "study" I have heard of in a long time. We're supposed to believe that watching tv and playing video games are actually good ways to increase your IQ. Not likely. Whatever happened to READING GOOD BOOKS?

You get so much more information in the same amount of time by reading than you could ever get by watching tv. It annoys me to even watch the television news anymore. The regular network news shows transmit about the same amount of information in 30 minutes that I could read in 3 minutes on the internet. The cable news channels just replay the same stuff over and over and over again.

Here's another article I just read today by Vox Day: Flattered to deceive. Strange article title, but it does relate to this topic if you are interested.

Thank You

Thanks to each family member who came to the great space birthday party yesterday. It was out of this world (harrrr). Our son had a great time, and we ALL enjoyed saying good-bye to everyone. This is not because we wanted people to leave, but because whenever anyone leaves our house my children stand on the front porch yelling "BYE!!!!" literally constantly until their vehicle is no longer in sight. It is quite a significant experience. So to everyone who came, I say: thank you, and I hope your eardrums are still intact.