Chronicles of a family at home - Homeschool Blogger

Moving Announcement

Sat, 2 May 2009 13:25:00 -0500

I'm finally making the move to blogspot! You can find me now at: http://queenofthehillathome.blogspot.com/

Still more about that amazing baby

Sun, 1 Feb 2009 21:12:00 -0600

My little babykins is now two and a half years old, but he is wise well beyond his years. Picture slightly frayed mother, cradling aforementioned toddler in her arms, walking furiously up the stairs, clearly on a mission. She's beyond ready to put the little stinker down for his nap, when he wails through his tears in one last, desperate-yet-comical attempt to save himself: "No mommy! Want to watch the NEWS!"

That boy has got a career in marketing ahead of him.

99 Things to Do

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 14:22:00 -0600

Madam SmallWorld did this on her blog and it looked like it might be just what the doctor ordered to get the rust scrubbed off my brain so I can start blogging again!

(Items in blue are ones that I have done.)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars (Camp River Glen in California was the best)
3. Played in a band (it was the flute, in 7th grade)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world (Kingofthehill used to work for Disney, so we pratically lived there. Sadly, it was before we had kids!)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris (I was pregnant, and all I could think about were tomatoes.)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (It was making wine glass charms. I still love it! And charms are oh-so-practical...)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning (on a train from Aswan to Cairo, Egypt. I seriously thought I was going to die.)
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables (Daddy had me plant a crop of beans when I returned to college, to help mend my broken heart.)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France (And I cried like a baby.)
20. Slept on an overnight train (Through Egypt – see “food poisoning!”)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort (I did build a hay fort in the barn once…)
25. Held a lamb (does a Barbados Sheep count? A man once gave me an entire flock.)
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (Monroe County)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (I worked with handicapped kids in Jordan and picked up many words that sound like handicapped versions of Arabic! Another time, I worked on German through Rosetta Stone, and when I was a kid, I desperately tried to teach myself Spanish.)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person (I have a photo I took of Glen and baby Tristan there)
39. Gone rock climbing (in Northern Minnesota and as a member of the National Speleogical Society at Ozone Falls)
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa (Does Egypt count?)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person (It was so crowded the last time, I mostly just wanted to flee)
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (Just last week)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (I have bought plenty of them – I think that should count!)
62. Gone whale watching (but never in a boat)
63. Gotten flowers for no reason (and they were de-thorned)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving (not a chance)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp (I have, however, been to the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem – The Yad Vashem. That was the saddest place I’ve ever been in my life.)
67. Bounced a check (but it was the bank’s fault – they had actually cleaned out my account and put the money in someone else’s account! Quite an accounting error. The check was to a travel agent for tickets to Jordan.)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (only fish)
88. Had chickenpox (I only had one!)
89. Saved someone’s life (by sharing Grant’s story of hydrocephalus, at least 3 babies whose doctors recommended they be aborted were saved from abortion. The shocker: Not one of them had hydrocephalus at their birth.)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (does A great salt lake qualify?? I swam in the Dead Sea several times.)
97. Been involved in a law suit (only indirectly, as in raising funds for a citizen suit)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Chanukah or Hannukah?

Tue, 9 Dec 2008 17:58:00 -0600

This is a re-post of a blog from 12/4/07:

Which way do YOU spell it? And why would I even wonder, not being the least bit Jewish?

Several years ago, a gentleman at church handed me a paper he had written on the significance to us Christians of the events that occurred around 167 B.C. and which sparked the annual memorial of Hanukkah. I looked at him with a great deal of skepticism (and a little sadness, for I was sure he was some sort of weird fanatic), but I took the paper home and read it anyway. Then I googled the topic to death to make sure he had his facts straight. By the end of the exercise, I was so excited about the miracle performed and its obvious footprints leading up to God's plan for our salvation that I couldn't wait until the next Hanukkah to teach my kids about it! I'd paste the whole document in here, but I'd have to get his permission, which would mean I'd have to tell him where my blog is, and then I wouldn't be Mrs. Anonymous Queenofthehill anymore. So, if you'd like to read the thing, just let me know and I'll send it to you in its entirety. He told me long ago I could share it that way. Meanwhile, I'll just use excerpts.

So without further ado, from another source, here's the short version of what happened:

Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days and nights, starting on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar (which is sometimes in November and sometimes in December on the Gregorian calendar). In Hebrew, the word "Hanukkah" means "dedication."

The holiday commemorates the rededication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Jews' 165 B.C.E. victory over the Hellenist Syrians. Antiochus, the Greek King of Syria, outlawed Jewish rituals and ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods.

In 168 B.C.E. the Jews' holy Temple was seized and dedicated to the worship of Zeus.

Some Jews were afraid of the Greek soldiers and obeyed them, but most were angry and decided to fight back.

The fighting began in Modiin, a village not far from Jerusalem. A Greek officer and soldiers assembled the villagers, asking them to bow to an idol and eat the flesh of a pig, activities forbidden to Jews. The officer asked Mattathias, a Jewish High Priest, to take part in the ceremony. He refused, and another villager stepped forward and offered to do it instead. Mattathias became outraged, took out his sword and killed the man, then killed the officer. His five sons and the other villagers then attacked and killed the soldiers. Mattathias' family went into hiding in the nearby mountains, where many other Jews who wanted to fight the Greeks joined them. They attacked the Greek soldiers whenever possible.

About a year after the rebellion started, Mattathias died. Before his death, he put his brave son Judah Maccabee in charge of the growing army. After three years of fighting, the Jews defeated the Greek army, despite having fewer men and weapons.

Judah Maccabee and his soldiers went to the holy Temple, and were saddened that many things were missing or broken, including the golden menorah. They cleaned and repaired the Temple, and when they were finished, they decided to have a big dedication ceremony. For the celebration, the Maccabees wanted to light the menorah. They looked everywhere for oil, and found a small flask that contained only enough oil to light the menorah for one day. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days. This gave them enough time to obtain new oil to keep the menorah lit. Today Jews celebrate Hanukkah for eight days by lighting candles in a menorah every night, thus commemorating the eight-day miracle.

I had always believed that Hanukkah was a celebration of some long-ago military victory for the Jews and why should I care about that? But what is actually remembered at Hanukkah is the miracle of the oil which enabled the rededication of the temple [of Jesus].

But the gentleman who wrote the paper says it best:

"If there had not been a re-dedication of the Temple before Jesus came, that is after it was desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanies, there would have been no Temple in which Jesus could be dedicated to God (Luke 2:25 -32). There would have been no Temple for Jesus to attend at Passover as a 12 year old boy (Luke 2:41 - 48) where he questioned the teachers of the Law. There would have been no Temple in which Jesus taught and prayed. Finally there would have been no Temple in which the veil could be torn from top to bottom, declaring access to God for all through our Eternal High Priest.

I am thankful for the Maccabees and that God gave them success in battles against overwhelming odds. I am thankful God's Temple was there in Jesus' time. And I am glad to be able to remember God's mercy and miraculous intervention to make it so."

It is important to note that it does not have the same status of the Holy Days of Leviticus 23, although it is mentioned in the bible. Another quote from the paper:

"You may be surprised to learn that when Jesus described himself as the Good Shepherd, He was in the Temple area at the season of Hanukkah. He had healed a blind man by making mud and putting it on his eyes, and was called into question about the source of his healing power. Read about it in John Chapters 9 and 10.

So how do I know it was at Hanukkah that this happened? Notice this casual mention, so easy to overlook, which is found in verse 22 of John chapter 10:

And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.

Hanukkah is the feast of dedication spoken of here. It refers to the re-dedication of the Temple which occurred before the birth of Christ in the period many call "the inter-testament period" of time. (That is the time frame between the end of the writings of the Old Testament and the birth of Christ and the writings of the New Testament.) An historical sketch of the reason for the need to re-dedicate the Temple, and the miraculous event reported to have occurred in the process follows this article.

Some who fear anything which seems too "Jewish" and don't want to admit Jesus observed Hanukkah might tell you John 10:22 is talking about the Feast of Tabernacles. Their claim to authority for such a claim is based upon the fact that Solomon's Temple was dedicated at the Feast of Tabernacles. However, this argument quickly falls apart when we note the qualification the Apostle John gives us "… and it was winter." No serious student of the Bible will argue that Tabernacles ever falls in winter. It is a post-harvest festival sometimes referred to as a feast of "ingathering" and always takes place in autumn, not winter.

It is interesting that Jesus chose this occasion to heal a blind man. Notice what the scriptures have to say about the eye:

MAT 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single,

thy whole body shall be full of light.

Hanukkah is a festival of lights. This because of the miracle of the oil needed to purify the Temple. Jesus chose this time to bring light to a blind man. Coincidence? I don't think so. He also used the symbology of another "Jewish" practice to teach and preach. Notice his use of the "living water" analogy on the Last Great Day of the Feast of Tabernacles which is recorded in John 7:37-38. This on the day when the people engaged in traditional, symbolic water pouring ceremonies as part of their worship of God."

As I said, I was hooked. As a Christian, I've tended to overlook how the Jewish traditions impacted Jesus' messages to us. I do observe the biblical Holy Days, but sans the parts that are just "tradition." I'm a fan of sticking to the bible.

So what about the symbols of Hanukkah? They are great teaching and retention tools for children. The menorah is self-explanatory; you light one additional candle each day (plus the one in the middle which you use to light the others) until all 8 candles are lit on the final evening. Makes sense, since the oil miraculously lasted 8 days. And what of those weird little dreidels? The symbols on each side together add up to "A great miracle happened there." (If you are in Israel, they instead say "A great miracle happened HERE.") They were invented as a toy to teach children the Hebrew language in a time when it was forbidden. The game is played with candy or coins and you win or lose depending on which symbol is facing up on your turn. And the latkes you hear so much about? Their only significance is that they are made from oil -- oil to remind you again of the miracle. Potatoes didn't exist in Israel in the time of the Maccabees.

So, how do the King and I celebrate Hanukkah? Not being Jewish, we don't see any reason to follow the strict tradition of the Jews in doing so. We read the story of the Maccabees to the kids, usually on the first night (tonight!). We emphasize that this all made it possible for Christ to be in that Temple to do His great work and note how this was over a hundred years before that and isn't it wonderful how God has worked so many miracles to send us our Savior. We light the candles at some point near sunset each night (if we're home) for 8 nights because we think it is a great teaching tool to show the kids how long this miracle extended. It can be hard for them to picture what a big deal 8 days is. If possible, we join with another Christian family we know for one meal at some arbitrary point within the 8 days and experiment with the interesting traditional foods and let the kids play dreidel together. We emphasize what "a great miracle happened there." We do not give gifts to each other or to the children.

So these days, we view Hanukkah as yet another tool in our arsenal of teaching the kids about God. Since we have incorporated this memorial into our calendar, we have met several other Christian families or individuals who recognize the time in some way or another. Have you?

Irrelevant Side note: I traveled to Israel long ago and noticed the local beer was called "Maccabee," so there's another mystery cleared up!

Amazing Baby

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:00:00 -0500

My baby, who is now two but will forever be known as "Baby," can do some pretty amazing things for a two-year old. In addition to humming the tune from Star Wars, he can:

Curl his tongue.
Pick up pencils from the floor with his toes while sitting on his trike.

He will be lots of fun at Frat parties someday (Heaven forbid).

And today, he learned to remove his underwear all by himself. Now, if he could only get them back on!

Perfection

Fri, 5 Sep 2008 00:30:00 -0500

Oprah does a "favorites" show where she gives the audience one of each of her favorite things. I'm not going to be doing that.

Lately, though, I've been making a mental note of things that are my idea of perfection in their classification. I have no idea why. At any rate, at my age, I decided that writing things down is really a better plan than mentally noting! In fact, I'll probably have to keep adding to this extremely disparate list because I'll never remember them all. I invite you to add you own ideas of perfection on your own blogs and send me a link:

The perfect diet soda - Diet Cherry Coke. It just doesn't get any better than this -- not even the real thing.

The perfect non-fat, no sugar-added yogurt - Krogers brand coconut cream pie. A dollop of sugar-free whipping cream and I swoon just thinking about it.

The perfect mouthful of food - Spicy Crunchy Tuna Roll. It has softness, crunch, it is spicy, and well, it is sushi!

The perfect coffee, fully loaded - Trader Joe's French Roast.

The perfect decaf coffee - Fresh Market's orange. It really tastes delightfully of cardamom.

The perfect place to buy books online - www.half.com. None of that pesky bidding, and you can choose what condition you can put up with to manipulate the price.

The perfect travel book - Fodor's. You get suggested routes for touring, restaurant reviews, hotel reviews, tips and pointers you would have never dreamed of inquiring about. We don't travel anywhere new without one. These books have never let us down. Okay, well hardly ever. There was that hotel in Germany that was pricier than the book said, and that dump in Rome...

The perfect time-saving device - DVR (I think this is similar to Tivo). I never waste time sitting around watching my favorite shows on the schedule of the stations that program them. Now I waste time sitting around watching my favorite shows when it is convenient for me.

More to come.

Splat!

Fri, 5 Sep 2008 00:23:00 -0500

There really is nothing quite like gaily walking down your deck stairs in the dark with bare feet, only to put your full weight down on a good sized frog at the bottom.

What a terrible way to depart this world. At times like that, I am most grateful that I do not believe in reincarnation.

Funniest thing said at my house this week

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:43:00 -0500

Nine-year old Middle Son: "Mom, do you think Sally's tail is voice activated?"

Ahhh, the possibilities

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:02:00 -0500

There's a lady at church who is contantly giving me self-help books. She's one of those people who remembers everyone's birthday and never fails to arrive at church armed with a gift on the appropriate weekend before. I arrive with a gift for her sometime in the month after, because, as I've said before, I'm just a rotten friend. But I digress.

Clearly, judging from all my past gifts from her, she believes I need much self-help. (And to read Aretha Franklin's biography, but that's a blog for another day.) Finally, I explained to her that I simply don't read that stuff and in fact, loathe self-help books! First of all, I'm really not at all sure that I would choose to change the same things SHE thinks I need to change, and judging from past results, I'm powerless to change anything anyway. In short, it is my policy to avoid self-improvement books, programs, videos, you name it. Just too depressing to wake up the same ole Queenofthehill, morning after morning, with all the same flaws hanging out there for the world to see and a lot of wasted energy and emotion spent in trying to change the unchangeable. Not to mention that renewed sense of being a failure. Who needs all that negativity???

I really felt pretty dogmatic about this, until this past week. I suffered a terrible blow in the pride department a couple of weeks ago (Dad2Three tells the story better than I ever could) and the ensuing depression and literal nightmares I suffered as a result have spawned something of a spiritual awakening for me that has me thinking and praying a lot more.

This, combined with a recent weight loss of 44 pounds (as of 8/19/08), caused a light bulb to go off: if I could change my habits and my lifestyle significantly enough to lose 44 pounds, what ELSE could I improve about myself if I set my mind to it?

So now there's a world of possibilities.

Will I become a better housekeeper?
Will my children finally complete (or start) the second half of their Saxon Math before I call an end to the school year?
Will I stop obessively checking my email?
Will I stop yelling at my kids?
Will I be a better wife?
Fill in the blank and make suggestions ___________ -- you all know me!

It can really be quite overwhelming. It was a lot simpler to believe that I was impervious to all attempts to change me for the better. But God, in His infinite wisdom has sent me a theme song. Much in the manner that "Wheels on the Bus" or "It's a Small World After All" stick in your head until you want to scream, but still the point was taken. I guess I could accurately label it a "mission statement." Are you familiar with that old hymn Make Me a Blessing? Those are very simple words. I look at my beautiful children, one who will soon be a TEEN, one who is at that peculiar age of 9, and one who is a Really Terrible Two, and I want to drink in every moment of their lives, memorize every funny face they make, and... not make one false move. I want to be a blessing to them. I want to nurture them to be able to meet every iota of potential that is worthy of meeting. I want to create in them warm, fuzzy memories of their childhood and, well, ME! I want them to have warm and fuzzies when they think of Mommy. I do not want them to get a visual of a shrieking fish wife, which is what I am when I'm stressed out -- which is what I get as a result of poor organization and NO planning.

In short, I want to do better by them. Like with so many goals, that takes a multi-pronged approach. To eliminate stress in my life will force a number of lifestyle changes. To create a more enjoyable home and school environment will take a number of other steps. To deal with them in patience will take a completely different set of changes. Can I do what it takes? I would have said "no way" a few weeks ago.

I pray that God will "Make Me a Blessing" to them.

Poof!

Wed, 21 May 2008 22:43:01 -0500

I have really done a disappearing act from my blog lately. I've been caught up in my latest weight loss enterprise and just didn't have any spare brain cells left to write with.

All day today I've had the hymn "Resting in the Arms of Jesus" running through my head. Well, maybe not all day; just since the cat bit my baby viciously on the cheek (there's probably not a non-vicious way to bite someone). This inspired the murderous thoughts that eventually led to my mental choice of hymns. I've owned and hated this cat for four years. It was abandoned at a rental house next door to us at our previous domicile and we quickly learned why. But we felt sorry for her, so rather than abandon her a second time, we brought her with us to the house on the hill. And we've lived to regret it. While her name is Honey, it really should have been Lucifer, if you know want I mean. Sure, she's all friendly when you come up on the porch, but if you make one wrong move, or stop petting her when she really wants you to continue, she'll bite. At one time or another, she's bitten all of us. We warn all our guests, but all are still shocked when she bites their little Johnny or Jane. And now she's gone too far.

My neighbor the vet says we need to keep her another 10 days to make sure she doesn't keel over from some dread disease that could impact baby. But that cat has all her shots, so I'm not worried about her health. But how does one do the right thing with a pet (execute it summarily at dawn, in this case) without traumatizing your children?

My husband thinks we should try the direct approach and explain that she's simply not pet material for anyone and really, there's not another job available for cats. His point being to convince them that sending her on to the next of her 9 lives is the right thing to do. I, on the other hand, am still really, really mad at my mother for putting the family dog down when I was 10, so I think that's a terrible idea. I'm thinking of calling in a hit man who'll just arrange for a sudden, unexplained disappearance. And the kids can just believe she's found a better porch to cover with hair, or a warmer hearth, or maybe even some people that like her.

But I'll know she's "Resting in the Arms of Jesus." Or in her case, maybe she'll be off in the other direction...

You can see that it might be in my children's best interest not to know exactly how mean I can be when it comes to that monstrous cat. When you and your spouse have had to make these tough decisions about pets, how did you talk about it to your kids? Or did you? HELP!

The secret of successfully struggling through grief

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 21:32:00 -0500

My friend Tim always has the most interesting and thought provoking things to say. And he's always doing something interesting, active, or outrageous -- or all three. "Doing" is something I really respect in life. Not to mention, if you get a wild hair and just really need to do something spur of the moment like snow skiing or boating (you know, a TRUE emergency!), he's always game. In short, he's the most reliable friend I have when action is required, along with his fabulously energetic and thoughtful wife, Adele.

In his latest blog, he mentions an acquaintance going through a particular set of difficulties. It really took me back. And not necessarily to a place I wanted to go. But no, I've never suffered from domestic abuse. I've been uncommonly blessed in the domestic department -- on all fronts. My parents are the best parents on the planet earth, for starters. My husband is somewhere up there in the top percentile of everything a girl could ever dream of. But still, aside from these permanent fixtures in my life, I've had some disappointments and some periods of deep, dark grief. I was transported by what Tim said.

I've often thought I should write a book about overcoming grief, but the way I accomplished it in my life when it became necessary sounds soooo shallow and stupid and ridiculous and 3,000 other things that do not add up to a New York Times Best Seller. So I'm going to post my response to Tim's blog here and ask you to help me articulate it better. I've thought of it so many times, I'm no longer objective enough to know how to say it. I do know that it works:

"I have watched a similar cycle unfold for people near to me. It is so painful to see. And having been in a place a couple of times in my life where it is nearly impossible to get out of bed for sheer grief, I can feel your friend’s pain.

An approach that has worked for me in the past sounds so silly now, but I’ll put it out there anyway: Set attainable goals. If necessary, choose something you can’t possibly lose at. I kid you not, my “attainable goal” was to get a tan. Noone on earth can avoid getting a tan if they sit outside enough, so it’s a good example of an extreme baby step. I lived in California at the time, so it was a given. Nothing salves the soul like accomplishment, no matter how fish-in-a-barrel-esque. But there are other things one can set out to do that are difficult to fail at: Whenever they ask you at Krogers to give one dollar for Muscular Dystrophy research, give a dollar. I bet you can think of a million attainable goals. And that, I believe, is the secret to overcoming grief."

So, can you help me restate that in a way that makes sense? Do you have any questions about it, like "gee, what did you do when you WEREN'T laying out in the sun and skipping classes in college?" And most of all, when you have experienced the sort of grief that makes waking up in the morning a nightmare worthy of the movie "Groundhog Day," how have you worked your way through it?

A word about friends...

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 17:47:00 -0600

...and one of the many reasons God provided them.

I was just telling Mrs. Partyoffive the other night (during our Lost Party) how fortunate I am in the friendship department. I have a number of people I'm just darned lucky to count as friends because, well, frankly, I don't deserve them. They are people who make extraordinary friends of themselves, whereas I'm really not even a mediocre friend. It just isn't my gift.

I do not remember birthdays. And even when I do, I can never seem to pull off anything magnificent. On the other hand, I have friends who actually send greeting cards to my pets, my children, my extended family, plus remember to throw a soiree to mark every single event in my life.
I forget to call. Sometimes, I even forget to call back.
I just don't notice subtle changes in the countenance of my friends, nor do I thoughtfully inquire what I can do to help. On the other hand, I have friends who offer the most outrageous gifts of service to me at all times of the day and night.
I actually forget to do things I've promised. And even when I remember my promises, I forget whether or not I've fulfilled my obligation and have to ask... or worse, forget to ask. (What's up with that? Maybe I need some Gingko Biloba.) On the other hand, I have a number of fabulous friends who are like clockwork and highly dependable.

So what has one of my glorious, undeserved friends done for me now??

A year or so ago, I mentioned in a blog that I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). While the hubby recently disappeared on a very, very, very (have I said "very" enough?) extended trip overseas, I really struggled to cope. And "coping" and "coping gracefully" are two very different things to begin with! It was 2 weeks -- weekend and all. I really survived fairly well until about 3 days prior to his return. The single parenting thing finally got to me and I sincerely wanted to lock myself in a quiet closet and hide from my beloved children. I also said and did some other pretty weird things, like turn down a snow skiing trip for next weekend that the king offered because I wanted to go to the Dominican Republic instead. That should have been the first clue.

BUT, before I could do any one of the 5 or 10 things that it occurred to me to do, my good friend Mrs. MonkeyParade proclaimed "I know what's wrong with you! You need your lights!"

"Lights?" I asked, totally perplexed.

"Yes, you are having Seasonal Affective Disorder! Shall I go get you some of those light bulbs? I can bring them by."

And suddenly, it all made sense. What a relief.

So, I really didn't need to:

Hide in the aforementioned closet.
Pack it all up and go join the circus. I'm certain I would have been hired into the high wire act.
Drop the kids off at Mom's and move to Tuscany, where I could learn to mash grapes with my toes.
Move to Bali.
Keep reading so many Clive Cussler books -- it just felt so good to be a marine biologist out on the deck of a NUMA ship, even if only in my head.

It has been much cheaper to fill my Ipod with my old favorites and hit the sunny road with Sally-the-Golden-Pyrenees, my cell phone, a bottle of water and all the boys in the groups Yes and U2. Yes, I know -- they are very OLD boys, by now! (All the Queen's boys must stay home, or the whole purpose is defeated.) Of course, I can't have this little micro-getaway when the king isn't home, so I'm still going to need some very cheerful lightbulbs for when that time comes, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Spring is on its way, for sure.

But if not for the blessing of friends, I'd probably still be swirling around the bowl of depression and not-quite-knowing-what's-wrong.

And Tim will be happy to know that I kept the TV off all day and not one child over two years of age even noticed or commented. All the kids were very amused to dance around to tunes from such winners as Def Leppard, Toad-the-Wet-Sprocket, The Cure, Nickelback, and Matchbox Twenty. Did anyone get a little blast from the past, there, or am I just the oldest person I know??

Fluoride Protest (Part 1A)

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 21:05:00 -0600

I know I should get to Part 2 of the Fluoride Mystery before everyone loses interest, but we've been afflicted with the epizootig again and also, spent some time this week actively working against the introduction of fluoride into the local public water.

Oldest Son (OS) is not an early bird, but on the day of a recent board meeting of the Utility District, he got himself up at the crack of dawn, showered and dressed and insisted on going with me to join a protest we heard about the day before. I had visions of truancy officers in my future, but couldn't come up with a single rational explanation for why he shouldn't enjoy his right to freedom of speech on a homeschool day! What better civics lesson is there? What better way to learn what democracy is about? What better way to teach him to "Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have." [Margaret Mead.]

So here are a couple of photos to document that he was there -- lterally ripped from the newspaper headlines. It is hard to believe that there were maybe 10 or 12 other people there total, when OS is pretty much the only one pictured in both the papers. But then again, I've never seen a more enthusiastic sign waver in my life!

It was very gratifying that a couple of other homeschoolers came to contribute to our numbers during the protest, and I received emails after the fact from folks who would have participated if they had known of the event. We didn't succeed in getting the Mayor to reverse his decision, nor did the Utility District board decide they had the courage to fight, but they have delayed the actual release of the chemicals until after the next board meeting. This makes me think they are hopeful there will be something dramatic occur between now and then. OS and I'll help out in that department best we can.

Latest mystery: Fluoride (part 1)

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:45:00 -0600

I love a good mystery. Especially ones with signs of conspiracies and cover-ups and government complicity. Probably a symptom of WAAAY too much Robert Ludlum and Tom Clancy reading, back when I used to have free, uninterrupted time.

My latest case as an amateur sleuth began with a decree to add fluoride to the public water supply from our local mayor, a former lawyer and political party leader. I thought these strange credentials in making healthcare decisions for the community, and since I strenuously believe that nothing he does is motivated by anything good, it bore looking into.

The two week odyssey of research took me from the 1930s through the present, to Sarnia, Ontario, and other disparate places like Hooper Bay, Alaska; Bauxite, Arkansas; and the Aluminum Company of America. Not to mention from science to junk science and on through the politics of expediency.

First of all, let me just say that, like with the terms "homeschooler" and "alien," I am aware that there is an immediate and visceral reaction to the term "opponent of fluoride." You know instantly that all homeschoolers are dressed in jumpers, are ultra-conservative Christians, and have a dozen children. You immediately know that all "resident aliens" are actually illegal aliens. And you equally assume all opponents of fluoride are either quacks or kooks. (Or maybe you don't have the same visceral reaction because those of you reading this are also homeschoolers?) But as a friend of mine said to me last week: "Just because they are kooks doesn't mean they are wrong." Reminded me of that old chestnut, "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean someone isn't out to get you."

Either way, a fresh look at the evidence on safety and efficacy of fluoride may reveal to you the uneasy truth that while there may be evidence of its effectiveness in reducing dental caries, and while it is frequently repeated that it is economical, you may actually come up dry on hard evidence that it is safe. I aspire to demonstrate this using facts not garnered from "kooks," but from the Belly of the Beast itself.

Look for Part 2, coming soon to this blog, near you.

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Doo doo doo, do do do, do do doo...

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:20:00 -0600

For a week or so, I listened to Baby singing a tune like this: "Doo doo doo, do do do, do do doo..." I thought there was a pattern to it, but then I thought , "Nah, the kid is only 19 months old..." Finally, the King says, "Hey, is that baby singing the theme to Star Wars?!"

My older children argue that the song Baby has stuck in his head is really "Sith Revenge" or something. Either way, I'm glad I wasn't just nuts!

Could Baby have some weird aptitude for music?

Obsequious...sequin...

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 23:36:00 -0600

He won! Oldest Son won the Area Home Education Association's Spelling Bee!

He worked really hard. Methodically. Systematically. Diligently.

We know now, though, that it is sheer dumb luck that picks the winner of most Bees. We've identified at least 15 words on the list of four-hundred and something that OS just isn't ever going to spell correctly. If he does, its a total accident. But noone asked any of those today.

It was an eventful Bee -- full of humor, and both good and bad sportsmanship. Good for Middle Son to watch. He says he wants to try it next year. Can Mommy's blood pressure take one more?

Kids say the darndest things...

Sat, 5 Jan 2008 15:02:00 -0600

We have had quite a number of warm, fuzzy family moments lately. Since all the classes, lessons, clubs, and activities have been suspended for the holidays, as well as the king's travels, I find myself caught up. It's weird. I scarcely recognized my family, so beautiful they look in the candlelight of a clean kitchen, wearing clean laundry that they did not find on the floor of the masterbedroom, or how fun they can be when chasing the baby around the den or collaborating to carry him around; one holding him by the legs, the other by the hands. I had forgotten that cooking dinner can be a pleasant chore and the dishes really can get done right afterward. I had no idea that teaching could be so incredibly pleasant, humorous, and effective done in a clean classroom, with only one big boy in it (or at least no baby boys...).

Much to my chagrin, starting this week, our activity level will pick back up again, baby nap schedules will be interrupted, laundry will be a scarce commodity and dinner will be a rush-rush affair and probably involve a whole grain tortilla and some cheese. My dream of a wonderful, peaceful family life will be just that, once again.

But Middle Son, age 8, gave me this to cling to, the other night. I'll set the scene for you. It is after a nice dinner, and he was painting his rocket for Cub Scouts at the kitchen island. Oldest Son is studying Spelling Bee words in the dining room, supervised by daddy with his laptop. Baby is running in between. I think I sat down in the den to catch my breath (read: switched on "House Hunters" on HGTV!) and he turned to me and said: "Mommy, I've been thinking." "Oh," I said, fully expecting a long list of "I wantas" related to the new Nintendo DS.

He said, "If you add an 'O' to the word 'God,' you get the word "good."

"Nice thinking!" I exclaim.

"And," he went on to say, "If you take away the 'D' from Devil, you get the word 'evil.'"

Wow! I was taken aback, to tell the truth. But he wasn't finished.

He said, "Isn't it interesting that you add something to 'God' to get 'good,' just like how God adds things to us? And that you take away from 'Devil,' just like the devil takes away from us?"

'Nuff said.

Countdown to the New Year Meme

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 10:39:00 -0600

Here's a Meme from Madam Smallworld to get the countdown to the New Year rolling:

1) Look back to your archives for 2007.
2) Collect the first sentence you wrote every month for the whole year. (This doesn't have to be the literal first day of the month--just the first post.)
3) Entertain us on your blog, link back here, and post a comment here with the link to your blog. (And if you're blogless, just remember the first sentence you spoke every month for the whole year and post it here.)

Note: After conducting this exercise for myself, I'm realizing that the first blog I write of every month is particularly boring! Let's do a meme wherein we pick the best blog of each month, shall we?

January - It is so hard for me to believe that our school year is more than half over.

February - I've been drafting and drafting various blog postings, but just haven't been happy enough to press "add new entry." (Waffle recipe posted!)

March - If everyone lived like me, we would need 7.7 additional planets the size of earth to sustain us all.

April - I'm an input junkie. (Re: Unplugging Me - a failed experiment)

May - After a 10 day delay, the King and I were finally able to celebrate our 14th anniversary.

June - I cannot believe a whole, mostly glorious, 12-month long year has passed since Baby was born.

July - I signed up some time ago to join Tim in a new initiative called Xercise365. (Still working this, although imperfectly: Queenteamx365)

August - I'm so excited. (Re: boat purchase)

September - There is a special conference on the Sabbath taking place this coming weekend in Knoxville, at the Convention Center.

October - Today, I did something I haven't done in 14.5 years. (Re: Bryce Canyon, Utah)

November - Someone needs to invent a "Clapper" that can be attached to coffee mugs, so I can find mine whenever I'm darting through the house trying to get things done in between trying to get other things done.

December - Which way do YOU spell it? And why would I even wonder, not being the least bit Jewish? (Re: Hannukah and its relevance for Christians)

Here's my word cloud. Get yours here.

Homeschooling with a baby

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 22:10:00 -0600

So many people say to me, "I just don't see HOW you homeschool with a baby." And I always reply with a snarky, "Oh, I just have really low standards," or "Well, I do it really badly." And truly, I did, although I was sure the end would justify my means and it would all come out in the wash. [I struggle often with mixed metaphors.]

Now I think I've found the secret to homeschooling with a baby. At least a million people have mentioned to me that this is what they do and I just let it go in one ear and out the other. Didn't see how it could work for me. It has taken me two days of just doing it to be pretty sure it works great!

We worked out shifts for babysitting the little guy. One big boy gets him for an hour in the den (usually watching the exhalted Bear Grylls) while the other gets one hour of focused Mommy time. Mommy having had lots of coffee. Mommy away from the distraction of the computer (mostly), the phone, and biggest distraction of all: Baby. Mommy has definitely got a bad case of ADD. Once you interrupt me, you've lost me for an hour. Give me 15 minutes of quiet concentration and I rock. I mean, with 3 hours of concentration, I could probably find the cure for cancer, world hunger, and corruption in government. But I digress. After First Boy gets one hour of uninterrupted Mommy time in a quiet classroom complete with securely closed door, that boy heads on downstairs to take the next shift. He's older, so he has the additional task of providing a snack for baby and starting lunch, so that when Big Boy #2 and I descend the stairs, fully grasping sentence diagramming, multiplying by 10s, etc., I can just kiss and hug baby and put him down for his nap. We hork down our lunches and head back upstairs to have lessons together - baby-free. Often, the baby will sleep for 3 hours, since I leave him in his swing watching HGTV. I figure it is bound to put anyone of the male species straight to sleep.

Of course, the Big Problem with this strategy is that it tacks a whole hour onto the school day. I also worry about not spending enough time with baby. On the other hand, the 2 hours he spends one-on-one with his brothers would be the same 2 hours we'd all be trying to keep him from bothering them and distracting them from their school work. And the Big Boys are like me. Disturb them and then just TRY to reel them back.

I've already made some gruesome discoveries in the depths of the boys' schoolwork. They've been forced by baby to work somewhat independently and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose when you do that. Oldest Son is just finishing up Chapter ONE of his English book, for example. Yes, that is correct: that is ONE chapter out of ELEVEN, and we are now halfway through the school year, are we not?? Fortunately, that one is a really quick learner and I'm not very worried about him at all -- academically. I do worry about his sloppiness and why, oh why does he do his math in his head and not "show" his work? And the handwriting! Oh my.

But this hour alone with each boy is priceless. We laugh more. Things are less tense, since I don't have to constantly say, "Focus!" or "Stay on Task!" Or, "Baby, put that knife down!" or "Baby, get off the table!" So while the day IS longer, it flies by much quicker and is vastly more rewarding. And while I enjoyed doing school nearer the coffee pot for a while, it is great to have my white board back and a dedicated classroom to keep our books and tools organized.

Next steps: Make sure there's mastery in the basic ground already covered while somehow catching up, and THEN adding some additional work in that has been missing entirely. The really cool stuff that makes homeschool so great.

Do you have other tips for homeschooling with a baby? I'd love to hear them and I promise not to let them go in one ear and out the other this time.

Manna

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 19:43:00 -0600

"Exo 16:14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground."

I have now idenitified the substance that was biblical manna: Decaf, non-fat, sugar-free, caramel latte from the Starbucks' Drive-thru window.

Just picture it. On the Sabbath, you just walk outside and there it is; hot, steamy, environmentally friendly paper cups ("small round thing") with a safety sleeve complete with cheerful logo and full of creamy, sinless java that would melt your heart and make you praise the Lord for taking you out of Egypt!

And if you insist that "bread" or "wafers" were involved, too, I can accept that: ever had a cinnamon chip scone?

Ah. Yet another mystery of history solved.