Nov. 10, 2009 - 52 Books and More!

A few weeks ago, I reached my goal for the year of reading 52 books.  I would have reached it earlier, but this summer I went through a period of being brain dead and really didn't read too much. Or blog, as you may have noticed. After that lull, I have now read ten or so in the last few weeks.  It feels good to be me again!

My last update about the 52 books challenge was July 10, and I had read forty books.  Since then I have read five fiction books: three romances, a Danielle Steel novel, and The Scarlet Letter.  I had to reread The Scarlet Letter after hearing that both my sister and my oldest son hated it, because I remembered liking it.  Well, I still liked it, but I think I can understand why others might not.  It is much more a description of the action.  In other words, instead of feeling like you are there, you feel like somebody who was there is telling you about it.  It's also a rich source of vocabulary words.

For non-fiction, I divided the book into Catholic, History/Current Events, and General Non-Fiction.  The Catholic books were The Rule of Saint Benedict and The Catholic Book of Character and Success by Fr. Edward F. Garesché, a phenomenal book that I plan to work back through and then use in our homeschool.

For History/Current Events, I read:

1. Under Siege: Three children at the Civil War Battle for Vicksburg.  I happened to see this in the children's section at the library.  While I was pregnant with the twins, I did a lot of reading on the Civil War, so I was interested in this.  Two of the children are on the Southern side, and the other child was General Grant's oldest son, who actually was present at the battle and was wounded.
2. After Etan: The Missing Child Case That Held America Captive by Lisa Cohen.  Etan Patz, age 6, disappeared May 25, 1979, while walking the two blocks to the bus stop by himself for the very first time.  His parents did not know he was missing until he did not come home from school.  When you read this book, it's almost unthinkable how cavalier society used to be about children's safety.  Missing pictures on milk cartons, Amber Alerts, beginning the search for a lost child immediately instead of waiting 72 hours, etc - these are all developments that happened after this case.  Today there is a tendency in the other direction, but in my opinion, many of these changes were good.  This book is hard to read, but I don't regret reading it. 
3. Gimme Shelter: Ugly Houses, Cruddy Neighborhoods, Fast-talking Brokers, and Toxic Mortgages: My Three Years Searching for the American Dream by Mary Elizabeth Williams. Why anyone would want to live in New York City escapes me completely, especially after reading this book about a family's three year search for a home to buy.  And then finally, they had the privilege of spending nearly $400,000 on a dinky little two bedroom apartment that wasn't even anywhere near the neighborhood they wanted to live in.  The book is part memoir, part commentary on the housing bubble, part someone trying to explain why she and her husband would choose to live in NYC.  I still don't get it, and I honestly, really, don't need to know when you and your husband "christened" your new apartment.
4. So Damn Much Money: The Triumph of Lobbying and the Corrosion of American Government by Robert G. Kaiser. Normally I would not read a book with profanity in the title, but this I could not resist.  The title comes from a quote in the book.  This book carefully outlines the horrible influence lobbying has on our government.  I truly think the only way out of this mess is to outlaw raising campaign money and give all candidates public money.  The scariest story in the book was when the President of Taiwan indirectly hired American lobbyists to try to get him a visa to enter the country (he attended Cornell as a young man and wanted to give a speech there).  The State Department, for fear of angering China, had refused him a visa.  The lobbying was successful and he got his visa.  Now, on the surface, I'm fine with that.  Why is China deciding who can enter our country?  But when you really think about what just happened, a foreign entity lobbied our government and got what they wanted!  That is really scary!  It's really a toss-up which book made me want to throw up more - this one or the Etan Patz one.

General Non-Fiction

1. Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.  My husband wanted me to read this book.  On the whole, this style of eating makes total sense to me, but it is really expensive.

2. The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp.  This is a really interesting book if you do anything creative or if you are interested in dance, since she talks a lot about the dances she has choreographed.  She really makes it clear that being creative is a habit and hard work.  There are lots of exercises and ideas to get your creativity flowing! I will definitely be rereading this one.

3. America’s Cheapest Family Gets You Right On the Money by Steve and Annette Economides.  I think I may have read this before, since some of it seemed really familiar, like the pages-long explanation of the minute details of attending the state fair cheaply...zzzz...oh ,wait, did I fall asleep there? Sorry!  You can get the same information that's in this book from The Tightwad Gazette, a lot more enjoyably.  I did like the way they calculated what your emergency fund should be, though, and their suggestions for budgeting for house maintenance.

4. I already ripped apart, uh, reviewed The New Global Student.

5. Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh.  I guess this is the year I read the books I associate with my mother - Love Story was the first.  My mom had a copy of Gift From the Sea that she really liked.  It's pretty much essays about relationships that she wrote while on a two week beach vacation.  Very thought-provoking reflections on marriage and motherhood.

6. The Not So Big House by Sarah Susanka.  While in general I agree with a lot of the principles in this book, I don't like many of the houses or rooms she shows.  I guess I'm a more traditional architecture sort of person. 

And that's it for now!

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Saturday, November 7, 2009 - Party Post III: The Grand Event

Kaira was a very excited princess when the big day finally arrived.  We were were joined by Lady Beverly, Sir Richard, the Bowman James, Lady Lorelle, the beautiful princess Kaitlyn, and the delightful jester Sirhc!  The games were underway when the Royal executioner showed up, escorting a servant girl he had found fleeing the Manor of Lord S and Lady K. 

The servant girl threw herself to the ground and begged the princess for mercy, and the executioner inquired what should be done with the servant, who was no doubt an accomplice in helping the Lord and Lady escape.  Kaira looked upon the groveling servant girl in mercy and answered the executioner emphatically, "Let her have fun!" 

And so, have fun we did.  The games included a quest for the grail, tests of archery, musical chairs, and tiara and shield making.  James the Bowman provided a demonstration of his skill, putting arrows through our bales with such force that we found broken shafts the next day!  The Lady Lorelle even brought along her pet draglet, whom Kaira took to immediately. 

Kaira's cousins attempted to present her with her very own prince, (who had journeyed all the way from Prague) but alas, her mischievous cousin, the wee jester Sirhc had enchanted the poor fellow and turned the Prague Prince into a Frog Prince.  The counter enchantment required she recite "Prairie Frog Fairy Prince" seven times in succession before kissing him three times.  (Seven plus three adding up to ten--her age, of course!)  Poor Kaira failed to recite it properly each time, and he remained amphibious.  Fortunately the fellow seems content to remain a pet.  (She's too young for a real prince anyway, so I'm secretly relieved.)

"Kenneth O'Laughlan" read the Fools Prayer, and the wee jester Sirhc did a Sirhcus act for us!  We feasted on shish kabob and raspberry cream filled cake. 

I should have required a few guests stand still for a quick photo op.  I didn't manage to capture my niece and nephew's beautiful costumes as fully as I'd like, and somehow the Lady Beverly managed to avoid the camera lens.  I also neglected to capture my own wee knights, Sir Keegan and Sir Kieran before they shed their armor.  (And, I was behind the camera instead of in front of it.  Which is all very good and well.)

A good time was had by all!  Huzzah!

Edited to add clarification regarding one of the couples pictured: Two separate bloggy friends emailed convinced that I was mistaken in declaring myself absent from the photos.  Drawing my attention to the upper left of the collage, they pointed out that I was right there, next to my husband, Ken.     

In the interest of autonomy, I should explain that the lovely lady in that photo isn't me, but rather my sister.  Likewise the gentleman beside her isn't my husband but her own--Ken's younger brother.    They are a cute couple, and especially since they are younger than their aging, older siblings, the confusion is considered a compliment.  (Shhh... please just don't tell "the sibs" you mistook them for their Froggy northern relations....) 

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Saturday, November 7, 2009 - Party Post II: Attendants Respond

After mailing out the invitations, Kaira was delighted to see her courtiers respond.  Here are a couple of the more interesting replies:

To the Attention of Princess Kaira,

It is my grievous duty to bring a matter of utmost importance to your attention. Reliable sources have informed me that the party invitees of (Lastname) Manor are planning to be late for the festivities. Such blatant disrespect for the royal Princess needs to be dealt with quickly and harshly to keep order in the kindgdom.  Therefore, on the appointed date, I will personally apprehend the culprits and bring them in haste for you to make a ruling on their punishment. I pray this will not cause too much disruption in the roayl festivities.

Signed in my own hand

X

His Majesty's Royal Executioner

And a little later, from her Aunt:

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Friday, November 6, 2009 - Party Post Part I: The Invitations

She sent invitations: sealed in wax, and delivered by national courior:



Most PrairieFrog birthdays are quiet affairs, with just our own little family.  Every ten years, however, for the entire duration of their childhood, we'll treat each child to a party with other guests! 

This year, as Kaira celebrated the completion of her first decade,  we hosted our first such event! 

I'll confess that the date gave me pause.  Although we do give a nod to Reformation day, the 31st of October is typically just another day for us.  We don't recognize the event our neighbors celebrate, or do any "alternatives".  But, with Kaira's birthday falling on Sunday, the day prior became a perfect choice.  (I think we've celebrated Ken's birthday on that date as well--He was born on October 29th--but it was a quiet family affair.)  Hosting a costume party on the 31st was new for me!

Stay tuned, for the courtiers' responses!

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Thursday, November 5, 2009 - Double Decker Week and a Decade Declared

My blogging has been sporadic lately.  Last week consisted of beautiful snow storms that kept my sweetie home by my side.  We were delightfully derailed by family time, and I was blissfully kept from the computer by snug, homey delights!

This week another phenomenon has kept me busy.  Although we are typically home-bodies, it seems we've had more going on lately.  When extreme weather shut down the city, last week became rescheduled to this week.  This week, however insisted on continuing a forward march of its own, and the two are rather superimposed atop each other!

Busy as the week may be, an important update is in order!  After pressing "post" on this blog entry, I will make a subtle but important change to my blog sidebar.  Kaira's age requires updating!  She refused to remain a nine year old, and has now accomplished a decade!  She had lovely medieval-themed party which shall be blogged as soon as I finish sorting through pictures. 

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Wednesday, November 4, 2009 - Wordless Wednesday ~ Story With Grandma

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Oct. 30, 2009 - Will This Pause Refresh?

For a while, I've been struggling with how to successfully integrate the computer into my daily life.  I've tried different things, prayed about it, thought about it, and scheduled it.  And finally it seems as though I have come to the right solution for me.

While the computer is a valuable source of information and a way to connect with my friends, it's also a big time vacuum.  Sitting down "just to quickly check something" is the equivalent of going into the supermarket for "just a couple of things." Even if it does only take a few minutes, it contributes to the scattered feeling I already have as a mom of four children six and under, plus two more at home.  

And checking something quickly multiple times a day adds up.  I started thinking, if I didn't sit down to check the computer, what could I do instead? Pray, read a child a book, clean something, speak a little German, play with the baby? In other words, something productive.  Something that would contribute to a good feeling at the end of a day, instead of the constant wondering, "Where did the day go and why didn't I get anything done???"  I considered getting on the computer as my break time, but it wasn't refreshing to me.  It just left me feeling more frazzled as I was pulled between my real world and the virtual world.  While it's true that we all need breaks, we need to be sure that the break refreshes instead of drains.

On the other hand, I am extremely limited in my ability to go out and to see my friends right now.  A friend and I have discussed how the feeling of isolation stay at home moms can experience can be very negative, and when I mentioned limiting computer time to my husband, he warned me not to cut off contact with the outside world.  A computer is a blessing in this circumstance.

So what to do?  Well, as I said at the beginning, after much prayer I have finally received the answer.  The computer stays off from the time I get up in the morning until the little ones are in bed, unless needed for urgent business like checking what is overdue at the library.  At that point (usually around 8 PM), I turn it on and catch up with my friends.  It feels like a good balance, and already I am feeling happier, calmer, and less scattered.  Thank You, Lord!

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Monday, October 26, 2009 - The Close of a War & New Inventions On the Coffee Table

The War Between the States draws to a close, and we look at a nation rebuilding with new inventions and enchanting literature.

Kaira's still working on her essay discussing whether the end justifies the means. (She told me she's taking a two pronged approach; discussing the topic generally, then more specifically as it pertains to unconstitutional moves President Lincoln took to preserve the union.) I'm fascinated to read what she's come up with when I glimpse her rough draft later this week.

Keegan's chuckling over Brer Rabbit, while Kendra and Keianna are thoroughly enjoying the Little House series.  All the children have been oohing and aahing over the other coffee table selections.  (And I've been nibbling at several of the titles myself!)

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Oct. 26, 2009 - Mark's soccer pictures

I was able to snap a few pictures of Mark at his game this weekend.  He and Sam almost always play at the same time.  Between trying to watch both games, cheer for both boys, video both games and snap pictures -- well, I don't do a very good job of getting all that done.  :-)

Mark and Jackson

I took this picture to show the green on Mark's face.  He had very much enjoyed the snack of a fruit roll-up thing.  The green doesn't show as much in the picture.

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Monday, October 26, 2009 - Neglected?

I've been busy at Anita's Antics and have neglected my "homeschool" blog.    I haven't forgotten about you though!

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