Aug. 31, 2006 - All of my comments - gone?

I know I don't use this blog anyway, supposedly. But I figured I better keep it alive with an occasional post so's you all get the benefit of my shiny happy smile when I comment on your blog. Right?

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May. 30, 2006 - A Homeschooling Question

So I know I'd said I'd post on my Other Blog but this really is homeschooling related.

When and how would you decide to "do something" about a preschooler's speech? And what would be your first step? Would you try things at home, first, or would you have the child evaluated first?

Why do I ask? My 3 year old (turned 3 in March) has very difficult to understand speech. Even for us.

He's very good at making his wishes known with gestures. He's obviously bright and comprehending well. And many of the sounds that he doesn't pronouce correctly he seems to be able to, if we stop and correct him. He's amiable to try and re-pronouce things for awhile.

For example. He normally says "Hoos" for "shoes". He *can* make the shhhh sound, but doesn't, normally. If we ask him to repeat "Shoes" he will say "hoos" -- if we practice "shhh - oes" he will repeat "shhh - hoes" a few times. When we work on it for awhile he's even, occasionally, overcorrected, adding a thoughtful "shhh" to the wrong word (shhhh - happy) or the wrong place "Shhhh- Elmo Hoos" instead of Elmo Shoes. So anyway, my point being that he CAN make the sound, but it hasn't *stuck* ...

Other sounds he can approximate *closer* if we try -- like P he normally says with his upper teeth on his lower lip, rather than together. But gets closer if we practice,although maybe not quite achieving a mature p sound ....

So. Most of the time we work on it in a relaxed sometimes way, but chalk it up to being a late bloomer in the speech department, but not really a *problem* ... but occasionally I'll talk to a 2 year old who speaks leagues more clearly, and I start to wonder if I should be more concerned or pro-active. I know about the Straight Talk 1 program from NATTHAN but not sure it's time to invest $55 in it (and haven't seen it elsewhere, cheaper ...)

What do you think?

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May. 15, 2006 - So I should tell you

Like I said earlier, I'm spending too much time with 3 blogs (rolling eyes) - also, sometimes I don't post anywhere because I don't decide which blog to put it on. LOL! So I decided, I'll use my "Real" Blog. My browser doesn't like this one, so I have to use some work-arounds to get my posts formatted. Not a big deal, but still ....

So my Real Blog it is ... unless it keeps getting hit with comment spam, then maybe I'll switch to this one. But I'll keep this little space here, to point you to the Real Blog and keep my hsb links and all ...

So please, come visit me at my Real Blog, feel free to use the RSS Feed so you don't have to guess and check it all the time. 'Cause you probably have better things to do than be online all day, too!!

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May. 11, 2006 - weird dream

I had a dream that I was pregnant, but hadn't seen the doctor since 20 weeks, and there had been some concerns at 20 weeks that I'd put out of mind. And I was at term and realized that I had not felt any movement, and had not grown any bigger, since 20 weeks, and realized the baby must've died. In my dream I was sitting at the computer typing that realization to my internet friends on the Haven. I was sad, but mostly puzzled to have not realized it sooner, and thought maybe this was why I'd been feeling lke I just wanted to enjoy baby Buzz as a baby for a while.

In other parts of the dream, we saw a double rainbow in a full circle around the sun, but it was irregular shaped and kind of, er, smeary. But beautiful. But when I tried to take a picture it washed out and I had no proof.

And we were having people over for dinner but I'd not prepared, and had to send dh out to buy garlic bread to go with it, at the very last minute when the people were here.

There were other "scenes" in the dream, but I can't remember them well enough to blog.

Edited to add: Anonymous reminded me to note, since I know all my friends will start speculating, that I'm pretty sure I'm NOT pregnant. Baby Buzz is still nursing a lot and I have not even seen enough fertility signs to bother charting yet. Yes, I know that doesn't mean I couldn't be. But you know. Plus I hope to have /leftie done in June, so I'd really like to not be, just yet. And stuff.

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May. 8, 2006 - the stupid thing about being Kim

I don't change well if I don't have a plan. At least, not for things I'm not sure how to do.

I don't plan well.

I often rebel against plans, even my own.

I think of things to change, then confuse myself with unresolved details, and get "stuck" planning.

which means nothing ever really changes.

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May. 6, 2006 - stuff

You know how sometimes you learn new, paradigm shifting, eye opening, life changing things?

That didn't happen to me at the conference. Instead I learned many of the same old heard-but-not-applied things. Good things that I need to do.

Model diligence and then train the children in it.

Prioritize and live by those priorities.

This will mean letting some "good" things go, in favor of "better" things.

Know your children and really invest in them.

Family worship needs to be a priority.

Always the romantic, I am often thinking I am willing to sacrifice all for Christ, to die for Christ ... but I am usually unwilling, at any given moment, to put aside my selfish comforts and indulgences. If I want to truly be used for Christ, I need to be willing to be uncomfortable for Him, as well as die for Him.

I need to make sure our family is investing in 'real life' friendships.

My internet time really needs to be reined in, pared down, brought under control.

Three blogs is too many.

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May. 6, 2006 - At the Conference

First of all, thanks to everyone for your encouraging and sympathetic comments last week. They are appreciated. I am pressing on, and have many thoughts in response but not the time to write them today.

At this moment I'm in a hotel getting ready for our 2nd day of our local homeschooling conference. Too bad I didn't get my HSB shirt in time for someone to recognize me, LOL. Anyone else at INCH? Not Julie, I've given p on her, ha ha. I still remember 6 years ago posting notes for her on the connection board, trying to meet her. ;-)

My splint is off but my hand is weak and sore. I can't take notes. Dh and I will be lucky to get a whole talk out of the conference, between baby and my hand precluding notes. Normally I'm a compulsive note taker. But we're having fun.

Welllllll, useless Leftie is going to sleep trying to type, so I am outtahere! If you are at inch and see a short, plump lady sporting a gimpy hand and a very happy baby yelling "quirl!" to people, say hi!

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May. 2, 2006 - Meet the real me

So what, exactly, is success??

I already know it's not a Martha Stewart Home. But beyond that ...

I'm troubled by feeling I'm not succeeding in anything, really. Not in my homemaking. Not in my child training. Not in providing healthy meals for my family. And certainly not in school.

"Oh, Kim," you say, "I'm sure you're doing fine!!"

What makes you say that? At what point do we draw the line and say that we're doing well enough? Is the line when our children are ... less dysfunctional than average when out in public?

"Oh, you know you can't measure it like that," you say, "After all, you're right where DO we draw the line? We ALL fall short of God's standards. That's why we're on our knees, getting by by God's grace each day. Leaning on His strength. That's where success is, at the foot of the cross. You know that."

You're right, I do know that, and I believe it ...

So why aren't I there? Why am I not before the Lord each day, confessing my sin and failures, receiving His grave and forgiveness and strength? Why am I not spending my days seeking Him for direction, for how to number my minutes aright, and earnestly praying for the hearts of my children, neighbors, and family and friends?

Why am I consistently running on Auto-Pilot when I know it's set to crash? Knowing I need Him to guide and direct, and turning around and forgetting, maybe not even thinking about it again for days? Why is the chasm between truth and living in it so far?

I can't tell you why. I would be a very different woman if I knew why and could fix it. All I can tell you is that it isn't success.

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Apr. 28, 2006 - Blub, Blub, Bang, and Zoom!!

Blub Blub.

Blub 1) I joined Weight Watchers Online!! I had a link to a free trial week, and my friend Betsy has had wonderful success with their program, and I did well with their program in the past (I'm actually a lifetime member, and could've joined the "real life meetings" for cheaper, but I thought I'd try the online). I want to lose about 45 pounds to be at a healthy BMI. I would really like to do that before any future pregnancies.

Blub 2) I entered and won a contest for the Blubber Bloggers logo. What a nice group of ladies (and not just because I won, LOL!) I am honored to win, and it was fun to enter.

Bang!

HappySonlightMomof7 asked about my new bangs -- they're not really bangs! Or, they are, but just a few? Bangs tend to be too poofy and high maintenance on my curly hair, but I wanted it off my face a little, so she cut it around my face at an angle a bit and blended it in, so there's no chunk of bangs, but I still get a little height and shape. Clever hair lady, it was all her idea, LOL

Zoom!

MaureenMichele claims I must be 15 to have watched ZOOM as a child. ROFL! ZOOM was on in the 70's, and I remember doing this "arm trick" featured in Zoom's *nostalgia* blurb, LOL. So I'm old enough to be retro, But I'm not as old as OreoSouza tried to make me out to be! LOL!! But I can still chant the address! (chanting: Write ZOOM! Z-double-O-M! Box 351 Boston Mass Ohhhhh Two Oooone Three Fouuuur ... send it to Zoom!)

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Apr. 27, 2006 - Abanybyobone?

Did anyone besides me and my sister Kelly learn Ubby Dubby Language watching ZOOM as a child? I like it so much more than Pig Latin. My kids got some magazine that had some poor Ubby Dubby knock-off language, but it was awkward, it did not bubble freely like Ubby Dubby.

Anyway. All that to say today is habair cubut dabay.

I also have several blog entries in the mental queue, one on friendship and one on ... um ... well, there was something else. Apparently I lave a leaky queue.

*** Pobost Habair Cubut! ***

Are you ready?

Back Before & after:

Front Before & after:

What do you think??

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Apr. 26, 2006 - I hope I didn't offend anyone, and moving on ...

I hope I didn't upset anyone or offend with my hair posts and thinking out loud. Maybe I think too much about these things. I'd stop my brain if I could, but I can't.

Anyway. Not much getting done here. My stupid left hand is acting out, upset to be left out of exciting surgery and not wanting to do extra work, so he wakes me up all night and falls asleep all day. I can see why some cultures think the left hand is a bad one.

It's taking me most of the day to get chores done, and the super trooper extra help from the children has long since petered out. My hand doesn't hurt much, but the little pricks and twitches and tingles are an odd sort of reminder that it's healing, I can't really just forget about it until it's better. And I'm discouraged about school. I don't know what I'm doing right now. And don't feel capable of figuring it out. And I feel like I'm blowing all our "relaxed" years during "good times" when I should be expecting more from all of us. Some year when we have a real crisis and it makes sense to just relax and left life be school I'll be stumbling over the fact that I did that already, in my sluggardlyness through these stable years.

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Apr. 25, 2006 - Avoiding Left Handed Cleaning

Now that my right hand is feeling somewhat more normal, just confined, the L-H blogging seems more tedious. But less so than left handed cleaning. So here we go! Random thoughts on haircuts:

My good friend Betsy said in the comments below that it does not dishonor God for us to want to look attractive. And of course, she's right. But ... I've been thinking about that (that's me, always thinking) and I think my tendency is to rely too much on what I want ... or, more accurately, using the wrong standards. Who defines "attractive"? It's easy for me to look to the world. What the world says about hair is easy to see. But doesn't the Bible also have something to say about hair? How do we choose our standards? (I want to add that this is not a critique of Betsy's comments, just that she got me thinking!! I love and respect her very much, and am thankful for the thoughts and opinions she gives me! My life is much richer for her friendship!!!)

I'm not saying it's wrong to want to look attractive. But I can not choose worldly style over Biblical guidelines. For example, the world might think sporting an exposed midriff is attractive, and if my eyes are on the world, I might want to dress that way, as well. But I believe the Bible teaches us to dress modestly, and would not feel modest and covered ...

So, back to hair. Yes, we have freedom in Christ, but in general I think our freedoms are really for the benefit of others, rather than to exercise our own wishes and likes or lean the world's way. As far as my unscholarly attempts to see what the Bible (which I choose to use as my authority, instead of the world, as much as I'm able) says about hair ... trying to sift out the point from the passages, it seems to me we women are to have modest hairdo's that don't show off elaborate "ooh, look at me" styles ... and that we're supposed to have hair "as a covering" showing our submission to headship ... If I understand it correctly, which I might not, we're not to be trying to take the roles of men in church/worship, and how we look is a part of that ... long hair is a feminine thing showing we're different in position from our uncovered-headed male counterparts?

1 Corinthians 11:14-15 "Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering."

I'll admit, this muddles me, not so much because of what the Bible says but because of how it's mostly dismissed by modern Christians, this whole hair/covering/authority thing. I read an interesting article once about how that would've been understood in the early church ... but I only have one hand and am just rambling

I'm left feeling that longer hair is in keeping with God's views on femininininity ... but also that my husband thinks a cut would be nice, and knowing that my split ends and tangles aren't really all that nice looking right now. Is it God's problem if I try to grow my hair long to honor him and it looks bad? LOL!

yesterday:

For now ... I am going to ... get ... a cut or trim ... on Thursday. !!!! I don't know how much I'll have cut. I really need more than 6" off to catch most of the unevenness and splits, seriously. I am thinking maybe I will cut-with-the-goal of growing out longer, healthier hair ... small regular trims and a longer goal in mind? I don't know.

I admit, knowing that I'm going to do something, a big part of me wants to choose "cute" even if that's short. But I'm not sure I'm standing on any Biblical ground in that. If the Bible does have things to say about hair, why would they not apply today? And I'm sidestepping the whole issue of covering, I realize ... in part because my husband once told me not to research it ...
So ... I think I'll just trail off ...

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Apr. 22, 2006 - Should I get my hair chopped?

Should I get my hair cut?

It's very curly but fine. It's always had a lot of split ends. It tangles really really easy. I spend 5-10 minutes carefully detangling it each morning in the shower, heavily coated in conditioner. It is nearly impossible to comb or detangle when dry. Plus when I do it looks all frizzy and bad, and I have to get it really wet before it curls nicely again.

So now I've got a right hand that I can't use or get wet, and a left hand that's not real helpful.

On the other hand, ha ha!, I have been trying to grow it out and see if I could ever have LONG curly hair. I believe God desires women to have "long" hair, but how long is not real clear ... I probably wouldn't go shorter than a chin-length bob if I did cut it ... but that would undermine my trying to grow it out. Although a few trims to try to cut split ends and even up the scraggly tapered ends has meant it's only about an inch longer than this time last year ... I've waffled on whether my goal is length or health, and in so doing haven't really gained either. So ... that's frustrating.

If I got it cut I could "start fresh" with no split ends and most of the henna gone. It would be easier to deal with while my hand is incapacitated. Oh, and my husband won't say what he prefers but he's the one that suggested a cut and seemed enthusiastic ... but won't go so far as to say he wants it long or short ...

I'm just not sure I want to set my long-hair dream back 2 years. But maybe starting with nice ends, a nice "hemline" would be better. On the other hand there's no guarantee that if I start growing it with a nice hemline that it won't be thin and scraggly at the end of 2 years of growth, like it was this time. Hair, on the average, grows 6" a year, and mine seems to grow a little slower than that. So a 1/2" trim every other month would maybe keep the ends nicer but would rob me of most of my growth ... so trying to grow it while trimming would be really REALLY slow. But then again, is it really any good to have curls that are scraggly and split and frizzy, like I have now, and to deal with the problems of length while the curls disguise the appearance of length?

Here's a picture of it, wet, from February (with "Henry," Shurleen!), and dry & fuzzy. I trimmed 2" after this, but it made really no difference in how scraggly and tapered off the ends are. It's not that it's cut severely layered, it's just that between slow frowth and post-partum shedding, this is how it always ends up looking. Although I'll admit this is the first time I've purposely tried to grow it long ...

And here's one so you can see the auburn henna ends I'm growing out, and the gray that's natural:

I just can't decide.

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Apr. 21, 2006 - I had a dream

I dreamed that OreoSouza visited me. I was living in some awesome quirky cabin (!!) somewhere, and she was on a trip and coming near enough to stop, and I convinced her to stay with us a bit. Her whole family! Even in my dream she didn't like to travel, so I was so excited that she was really coming. I don't remember any details other than that we hit it off and it was wonderful. And she wasn't so tall, nor I so short, that it was awkward. LOL.

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Apr. 20, 2006 - Me and my dumb hand

I took "smart hand" in for outpatient surgery today. My history of data entry, too much computer use, and 6 pregnancies has taken it's toll on my poor wrists, and particularly my poor, constricted median nerves. This past pregnancy I had some edema and my hands went all tingly and partially numb and ... didn't get all better! Even 11 months postpartum there was still a loss of sensation. I still had to sometimes tie toddler shoes using only my pinky and ring fingers because I didn't always have the dexterity in the other fingers. And any writing, drawing, knitting, painting, driving, mowing, etc puts them right to sleep. And being willing to be blessed with more children, I knew this may not be our last pregnancy. The numb-incident scared me about permanent damage, so I bit the bullet and decided surgery now might be better than losing the use of my hands permanently.

So that's what we did today, popped in for surgery. Now "smart hand" gets to rest and relax, snuggled up in his own form-fitting sleeping bag fora few weeks. And poor "dumb hand" gets a work out, doing all the work he's been slacking off on all these years. Kinda like the lazy eye treatment, eh, making the weak & lazy guy HAVE to work. But I tell you, he's not very smart! LOL!

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Apr. 19, 2006 - Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!

My friend Betsy* said she was having trouble accessing this blog, that her Norton's was telling her there was some sort of intruder alert, or something. (That might not have been what it said, my brain instantly converted her real words into sci-fi space movie lingo.) And it said the intruder was my other blog, LOL. So anyway, I changed the links to the Inspector Song and the Inspector Video to clickable-links. Hopefully, now, she will be able to access this blog, again, and you all can still click to see those things if you want.

*But while I've got you here, why not leave a comment for my friend Betsy, encouraging her to start a blog. She's one of those people that you meet in real life and think, "Wow, I'd really love to read HER blog!"

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Apr. 18, 2006 - Riddle Me This

Is it really possible to homeschool and be clutter free? Am I chasing a pipe dream?

I'm trying to declutter and reorganize some things today and feeling like I'm mostly rearranging my stuff to different rooms. Some of it I'm hiding behind cupboard & armoire doors, but it's still there, and that just means more furniture ...

I want to live sparsely, but I am so bad at this decluttering ... especially with all the books and school stuff and craft stuff and ... STUFF!

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Apr. 18, 2006 - Neglectoblog

Poor, neglected, blog.

Does decluttering count as school? Today I need to both declutter for our upcoming church yard sale (Sunday is the drop off date) AND rearrange some furniture. I need to find our measuring tape. I guess I should get to work, eh? I took pix of yesterday's decluttering pile, and I'll take more pix today. Then you'll have something to look at when you're bored.

Today's my Tobi-wan's birthday. Perhaps you remember his exciting birth? Anyway, I'll try to get a "real blog" entry for him, later. Right now I simply MUST get off my jammied behind and get to walking and working.

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Apr. 13, 2006 - Second Draft for Oreo ~ The Inspection Team

Okay, let's try this: Our Inspection Team

the song:

Click here to play The Inspector Song
For the record, I am not one of the singers :-)

the lyrics:

the team:
MEDIUM-sized image	FULL-sized image

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Apr. 13, 2006 - There is no secret

Firstly, my apologies to everyone who can't see the video. I'm not sure why, but it needed some major tweaking, anyway. Perhaps I'll make it a comic-and-theme song instead. But not at the moment.

Secondly, I needed to publicly announce: There is no secret.

There, I've said it. I'm actually trying to figure out how Shurleen got the idea I had a secret. The closest I came, which coincided with the time of this whole "what's your secret" quest she's on, was my vague post. And yes, Shurleen, April, and I think Betsy, you're right about the issue. I think. Shurleen for sure because she emailed me, and apparently all my replies went off into cyberspace. There's something wrong with my email right now, and about 1/3 of my messages bounce, and another 1/3 go off into space with NO indication that anything was wrong, but they are never received. But April, yeah, the one you're always wondering/waffling, and Betsy, I'm guessing you heard enough that you're probably right.

I guess I could just say it, that way it would be clear there were no secrets. My post was about wearing mostly-dresses. There, I've said it. I was thinking it was time to start wearing jeans again, because I've always thought they were cute and comfy. And I was wanting to just borrow what God had told other people. And a bunch of other stuff. The post was NOT about being quiverfull, if anyone was wondering that. But along those lines, to be perfectly clear, I am not pregnant at this time.

I guess I could say, in lines of not keeping secrets, that I'm very okay with not being pregnant right now. Baby is young enough that I'm not at all anxious or trying ... to be totally honest, I'm thinking a little "break" would be nice at this time ... I'm not sure why, I've never really felt that way before. And I don't feel that so strongly that we would change our convictions. But anyway. Yes dresses, no, not pregnant. LOL. How's that for no secrets?

And now there's nothing really more to say ...

Except that even though the issue was about dresses, the post was really about God answering my confusion in an unexpected way, and wanting to follow Him even if He gives me different answers than He gives everyone else. I suppose I have more thoughts on obedience and trying to follow Him conservatively vs. legalism, but I'll save that for a different time.

Right now I'll just trail off ...

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