Sorry for the extended absence. December and June are always difficult for teachers.
I managed to get myself truly behind the paper-grading 8-ball (no, not the 8-ball that grades papers, silly) this year when I decided to write The Adventures of Adelbert A. Kendall. That would be my great-great-grandfather--who'd have thought I could write 6600 words about a man about whom there are no books, no scholarly papers--just a newspaper article here and an Internet paragraph there. Plus a dischronologized account by my grandmother, God rest her. Writing these 6600 words (plus all the research involved, plus footnotes) took hours and hours, during which time my better half lovingly watched the kids. I've seen a lot of payoff already, but I'm not sure I'd do it again--and that's the paper-grading problem.
Having completed the biography around the 10th or 15th, I was able to attack the grades (including the major project I'd assigned) well in front of today's deadline. But then, last night, we watched A Christmas Carol (starring Patrick Stewart) with the kids and three guests. The guests stayed until 10, because I knew I didn't have to go to work until 8 AM (instead of the usual 7:25). But that night, Oob got up three times, including one 90-minute marathon, and Leena threw up twice. And, for extra bonus points, my better half got sick, too.
Now, this 2:30-PM-on-12/21/07 grade deadline is a H-A-R-D deadline. I mean, they have maybe half-an-hour's wiggle room built in. But there was no way I could leave the prime minister in charge--she could barely make it from the bed to the bathroom.
So I went to work and brought five out of six kids, all but the now-passively-sick-and-excited-because-she-gets-to-wear-PJ's-and-watch-movies Leena. I grabbed the (heavy) box of still-ungraded papers, and home we went. I then stuffed videos in the kids faces, sometimes using two televisions at once, took care of my wife, made meals, and graded like a maniac. My wife arose from her stupor (arose figuratively; she stayed in bed) in just enough time to prove that she is, indeed, my better half by volunteering to help me grade the projects. We finished at 1 PM, at which point I took the 7-month-old Oob to work with me, and I got the grades in by 2:15. (Oob wanted to play with the electrical cords. I eventually unplugged them and just let him play, looking at him every five seconds to ensure that they hadn't encircled his throat.)
I guess this is why you don't leave grading papers until the last day--which would be why one doesn't write 6600-word biographies of ancestors during the month of December.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Frustration
It's so frustrating to have an ancestor whom you're 99% sure was in the local newspapers 100+ years ago . . . and to have all of the newspapers gone, destroyed, never to be unearthed . . .
It reminds me of Aaron Rice, whom we know is from Litchfield, CT, but can't records of . . . or our ancestors in Woodford, Vermont, where the court building with all the records burned down . . . or of the Obuses, who chose Obus as their last name more or less at random so that no one could track them down as Jews . . . or even the family questions I should have asked my Aunt Toni on her deathbed, almost two decades ago . . . but I didn't know the right questions yet . . .
The death of information is a terrible thing . . .
It reminds me of Aaron Rice, whom we know is from Litchfield, CT, but can't records of . . . or our ancestors in Woodford, Vermont, where the court building with all the records burned down . . . or of the Obuses, who chose Obus as their last name more or less at random so that no one could track them down as Jews . . . or even the family questions I should have asked my Aunt Toni on her deathbed, almost two decades ago . . . but I didn't know the right questions yet . . .
The death of information is a terrible thing . . .
Fascinating presidential poll
Just studied this national poll a bit. Especially outstanding:
1) I posted a while back on Hillary Clinton's negatives. This poll records them: 50% of adults hold an unfavorable opinion of her. How in the world can she get elected president if the general election hasn't even started and her unfavorable rating is already 50%?
2) Huckabee is now #2 nationally among Republicans. Last poll, he was in 5th place. Talk about meteoric--I can't recall the like. Bizarre election.
3) Huckabee has a 17-point spread between his "favorable" and "unfavorable" ratings (33% and 16% respectively).
4) Perhaps most importantly, Huckabee is still unknown by 33% of the electorate. If they, as they learn about him, mirror the electorate who have heard of him, his rise will only continue.
OK, back to teaching . . .
1) I posted a while back on Hillary Clinton's negatives. This poll records them: 50% of adults hold an unfavorable opinion of her. How in the world can she get elected president if the general election hasn't even started and her unfavorable rating is already 50%?
2) Huckabee is now #2 nationally among Republicans. Last poll, he was in 5th place. Talk about meteoric--I can't recall the like. Bizarre election.
3) Huckabee has a 17-point spread between his "favorable" and "unfavorable" ratings (33% and 16% respectively).
4) Perhaps most importantly, Huckabee is still unknown by 33% of the electorate. If they, as they learn about him, mirror the electorate who have heard of him, his rise will only continue.
OK, back to teaching . . .
Friday, November 30, 2007
Excellent article on stem cell research
I haven't seen a non-science writer who understands stem cells as well as this one.
He discusses, of course, this fabulous news for science released last week.
He discusses, of course, this fabulous news for science released last week.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Trust
Those who know me know that I survive by dint of a daily verse of Scripture, chosen from the day's Mass readings or the Divine Office. I just read the readings, and one verse "jumps out" at me. (I try to use Lectio Divina, but time constraints usually prohibit that.)
Today's threw me for a loop; the second time in the four months I've been doing this. Daniel 6 told me, "Daniel was removed from the den, unhurt because he trusted in his God."
Trust in God is the very issue that came up in November's spiritual direction. My medical problems (originally misdiagnosed as migraines, later re-classified as occipital neuralgia) have put me through--well, more suffering than I'm used to, anyway. It's been quite a roller coaster since December 2004, when the problem first started. Only now are we finishing up the minor issues, like why my gut has been hurting.
But I feel like I can't trust God. After what I've been through, my reaction really was, "If God did this to me when I trusted Him, I can't make that mistake again." Now, intellectually, I know God *allowed* it, not "did" it, but I'm talking about my emotions here. I also know that the medical problems really did work to my good--I have better control over my temper, I know more about what it means to "offer it [suffering] up," I'm more focussed on my family than on outside commitments (e.g. politics), I'm more sympathetic to the suffering of others, and I have a greater love for Christ, who suffered all of what I go through--purposefully.
But I still can't trust Him. Emotionally, I feel like I don't know what He's going to do to me next. Which is ridiculous, and intellectually I realize that there's a misconception of God there, a lack of theological hope, etc. So I'll get past it, with the help of my spiritual director. But it might take a while.
Daniel trusted in his God. Note the possessive pronoun "his." There's an intimacy there. And the word "because"--his trust resulted in his being unharmed. That goes against my thinking. And my thinking is what's wrong.
I may keep this verse for a couple of days. I'll try to write back with additional thoughts later.
Today's threw me for a loop; the second time in the four months I've been doing this. Daniel 6 told me, "Daniel was removed from the den, unhurt because he trusted in his God."
Trust in God is the very issue that came up in November's spiritual direction. My medical problems (originally misdiagnosed as migraines, later re-classified as occipital neuralgia) have put me through--well, more suffering than I'm used to, anyway. It's been quite a roller coaster since December 2004, when the problem first started. Only now are we finishing up the minor issues, like why my gut has been hurting.
But I feel like I can't trust God. After what I've been through, my reaction really was, "If God did this to me when I trusted Him, I can't make that mistake again." Now, intellectually, I know God *allowed* it, not "did" it, but I'm talking about my emotions here. I also know that the medical problems really did work to my good--I have better control over my temper, I know more about what it means to "offer it [suffering] up," I'm more focussed on my family than on outside commitments (e.g. politics), I'm more sympathetic to the suffering of others, and I have a greater love for Christ, who suffered all of what I go through--purposefully.
But I still can't trust Him. Emotionally, I feel like I don't know what He's going to do to me next. Which is ridiculous, and intellectually I realize that there's a misconception of God there, a lack of theological hope, etc. So I'll get past it, with the help of my spiritual director. But it might take a while.
Daniel trusted in his God. Note the possessive pronoun "his." There's an intimacy there. And the word "because"--his trust resulted in his being unharmed. That goes against my thinking. And my thinking is what's wrong.
I may keep this verse for a couple of days. I'll try to write back with additional thoughts later.
The week of great news
Wow--can things get any better around here?
1) Medical tests revealed that I don't have to have surgery on my abdomen! Hurrah!!! My problem should be easily treated with short-term prescription medicine.
2) I just got word from a museum and a library (both in Nebraska) that they have photos, obituaries, and even newspaper stories by and about my great-great-grandfather! We've lacked photos of him up until now, so this is huge. I'd say more, but I'm keeping it a secret from Little Things until, uh, the end of December... Anyway, for you genealogists out there, consider local museums as a source; it hadn't occurred to me until this week, and the photos were just there waiting all this time.
3) Watched The Incredibles with two friends, one of whom is a priest who'd never seen it before. The combination of scathing social commentary and the issues relating to one's personal philosophy really hit him, as did its insights into married relationships; he left amazed that a "cartoon" could be so good, saying he'd have to take a couple of ideas just to process all the ideas. It was my third time through, and I got things from it I hadn't seen the first two times.
4) I just this morning got invited to teach International Baccalaureate English next year. Have to pray on that one, but it's a huge honor.
5) Myxl, who just got third place in the children's division gingerbread house contest (and whom I hope has a shot of the Viewer's Choice Award, given some comments from a friend who visited the show), just earned three--count them, three!--Webelos cub scout badges at home, which will be added to the two he's so far earned at the meetings. That makes five, one more than is necessary to get his first "compass point" out of three possible. I'm so proud of him! (He was already the first in his den to get his compass patch, so he's really doing extremely well.)
1) Medical tests revealed that I don't have to have surgery on my abdomen! Hurrah!!! My problem should be easily treated with short-term prescription medicine.
2) I just got word from a museum and a library (both in Nebraska) that they have photos, obituaries, and even newspaper stories by and about my great-great-grandfather! We've lacked photos of him up until now, so this is huge. I'd say more, but I'm keeping it a secret from Little Things until, uh, the end of December... Anyway, for you genealogists out there, consider local museums as a source; it hadn't occurred to me until this week, and the photos were just there waiting all this time.
3) Watched The Incredibles with two friends, one of whom is a priest who'd never seen it before. The combination of scathing social commentary and the issues relating to one's personal philosophy really hit him, as did its insights into married relationships; he left amazed that a "cartoon" could be so good, saying he'd have to take a couple of ideas just to process all the ideas. It was my third time through, and I got things from it I hadn't seen the first two times.
4) I just this morning got invited to teach International Baccalaureate English next year. Have to pray on that one, but it's a huge honor.
5) Myxl, who just got third place in the children's division gingerbread house contest (and whom I hope has a shot of the Viewer's Choice Award, given some comments from a friend who visited the show), just earned three--count them, three!--Webelos cub scout badges at home, which will be added to the two he's so far earned at the meetings. That makes five, one more than is necessary to get his first "compass point" out of three possible. I'm so proud of him! (He was already the first in his den to get his compass patch, so he's really doing extremely well.)
Monday, November 26, 2007
Why Clinton can't win and Huckabee can
This post started as a reply to my big sister Little Things, but it outgrew itself.
1) The nation hasn't elected a senator president but twice in the last 75 years. We like governors and vice presidents to be presidents, but not senators. This factor works against Clinton and for Huckabee.
2) With any political campaign, you have to consider the general election's "anti" vote. For example, Romney, as the nominee, would have to fight the anti-Mormon contingent of the Republican Right, who would really have to be courted quite hard not to just stay home. Guliani attracts such a strong "anti" vote from the Right that they've threatened a third-party bid (well, fourth-party, if you count Bloomberg). However, Huckabee lacks the strong "antis" so far, as far as the general election goes.
Clinton has such a high "anti" factor that people who have never participated in politics before would actively volunteer just to ruin her chances (and in my social circle, I know some of these people). It's not nice, nor is the vehemance of their vitriol logical, but there we are.
Here's an excerpt from pollster.com that plays off that idea:
A new SurveyUSA automated survey of 523 registered voters in oregon [sic] (conducted 11/9 through 11/11) finds:
General Election Match-ups:
McCain 48%, Clinton 45%
Clinton 46%, Giuliani 45%
Clinton 48%, Romney 44%
Clinton 50%, Huckabee 40%
Obama 45%, McCain 45%
Obama 51%, Giuliani 40%
Obama 52%, Romney 37%
Obama 54%, Huckabee 33%
Obama handily outperforms Clinton in each match-up. Huckabee's low name recognition nationally (compared to prior candidate McCain, Hizzoner Guliani, and front-runner/multi-millionaire Romney) accounts for his poor performance in these polls.
3) America doesn't tend to go for Democratic presidential candidates. From 1966 to the present, the U.S. has only elected two Democrats to the presidency. One was elected in the wake of the Watergate scandals. The other failed to get past 50% either time he ran.
This works against Clinton and favors Huckabee.
4) Immigration is the dark horse issue that could really work against Democrats. I'm pretty liberal on immigration (I supported the bipartisan McCain/Kennedy reform package), but the nation doesn't share my views. Clinton, already shown vulnerable here, will be walloped on immigration, no matter who the GOP candidate is.
More disturbingly for Dems, most African-Americans agree with Republicans on immigration. Some have already held their noses and voted Republican over abortion and gay marriage; if immigration pulls even an additional 5-10%, the Dems could be in real trouble, working to the advantage of the Republicans. BTW, Huckabee, in his Arkansas re-election bid, earned 49% of the African-American vote statewide. (Ironically, Huckabee is actually fairly moderate on immigration, despite all his nay-saying, but immigration will still be used as a "wedge" issue.)
P.S. As a registered Dem, I'm voting for Obama, who has really impressed me of late with his statements on education.
1) The nation hasn't elected a senator president but twice in the last 75 years. We like governors and vice presidents to be presidents, but not senators. This factor works against Clinton and for Huckabee.
2) With any political campaign, you have to consider the general election's "anti" vote. For example, Romney, as the nominee, would have to fight the anti-Mormon contingent of the Republican Right, who would really have to be courted quite hard not to just stay home. Guliani attracts such a strong "anti" vote from the Right that they've threatened a third-party bid (well, fourth-party, if you count Bloomberg). However, Huckabee lacks the strong "antis" so far, as far as the general election goes.
Clinton has such a high "anti" factor that people who have never participated in politics before would actively volunteer just to ruin her chances (and in my social circle, I know some of these people). It's not nice, nor is the vehemance of their vitriol logical, but there we are.
Here's an excerpt from pollster.com that plays off that idea:
A new SurveyUSA automated survey of 523 registered voters in oregon [sic] (conducted 11/9 through 11/11) finds:
General Election Match-ups:
McCain 48%, Clinton 45%
Clinton 46%, Giuliani 45%
Clinton 48%, Romney 44%
Clinton 50%, Huckabee 40%
Obama 45%, McCain 45%
Obama 51%, Giuliani 40%
Obama 52%, Romney 37%
Obama 54%, Huckabee 33%
Obama handily outperforms Clinton in each match-up. Huckabee's low name recognition nationally (compared to prior candidate McCain, Hizzoner Guliani, and front-runner/multi-millionaire Romney) accounts for his poor performance in these polls.
3) America doesn't tend to go for Democratic presidential candidates. From 1966 to the present, the U.S. has only elected two Democrats to the presidency. One was elected in the wake of the Watergate scandals. The other failed to get past 50% either time he ran.
This works against Clinton and favors Huckabee.
4) Immigration is the dark horse issue that could really work against Democrats. I'm pretty liberal on immigration (I supported the bipartisan McCain/Kennedy reform package), but the nation doesn't share my views. Clinton, already shown vulnerable here, will be walloped on immigration, no matter who the GOP candidate is.
More disturbingly for Dems, most African-Americans agree with Republicans on immigration. Some have already held their noses and voted Republican over abortion and gay marriage; if immigration pulls even an additional 5-10%, the Dems could be in real trouble, working to the advantage of the Republicans. BTW, Huckabee, in his Arkansas re-election bid, earned 49% of the African-American vote statewide. (Ironically, Huckabee is actually fairly moderate on immigration, despite all his nay-saying, but immigration will still be used as a "wedge" issue.)
P.S. As a registered Dem, I'm voting for Obama, who has really impressed me of late with his statements on education.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Predictions for the 2008 Presidential Race
1) If Mitt Romney loses in both Iowa and New Hampshire, he'll drop out of the race.
2) If Hilary Clinton is nominated, she will not win the presidency.
3) If Hilary Clinton loses Iowa and Michigan, she will not win the nomination unless there's a kingmaker (uh, queenmaker?) involved.
4) If Rudy Guliani is nominated, a third party candidate will take near 15% of the national popular vote, if not more.
5) If Mike Huckabee wins both Iowa and South Carolina, he will win the nomination, Mitt Romney will be his VP candidate, and they will win the general election in an electoral landslide.
2) If Hilary Clinton is nominated, she will not win the presidency.
3) If Hilary Clinton loses Iowa and Michigan, she will not win the nomination unless there's a kingmaker (uh, queenmaker?) involved.
4) If Rudy Guliani is nominated, a third party candidate will take near 15% of the national popular vote, if not more.
5) If Mike Huckabee wins both Iowa and South Carolina, he will win the nomination, Mitt Romney will be his VP candidate, and they will win the general election in an electoral landslide.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
I've been tagged
I've been tagged by my better half to write eight random things about myself. Here's me:
1) I live in the house I was brought to from the hospital. I teach in my alma mater. At one point, I was teaching 9th grade English in the room in which I was taught 9th grade English--that was too weird even for me. Anyway, the prime minister (aka my wife) says I live at 5709 Memory Lane.
2) I'm descended from at least eight people who rode on the Mayflower and landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620. Thanksgiving is kind of a big deal for me.
3) I think I look good in cranberry and forest green, but my actual favorite colors are purple and silver, which I really wouldn't want to wear.
4) My parents met at a science fiction convention, as did the prime minister and I. (Not so likely for my kids, as we've stopped going.)
5) I'm a former Unitarian Universalist, which means that when I prayed, it was "to whom it may concern."
6) Polar bears are my favorite animal. Have been for years. I really see God's beauty, power, and playfulness in these creatures.
7) I support Mike Huckabee for president, and I think Pat Robertson and NRLC were totally out to lunch with their endorsements. Oh, and I'm a lifelong Democrat.
8) I have about 7500 comic books in the back basement, but I'm probably going to let go of about half of them as soon as I figure out how to use eBay.
Whew! Eight random facts in eight minutes. I don't blog enough to tag other people, so you'll have to consider yourselves tagged . . .
1) I live in the house I was brought to from the hospital. I teach in my alma mater. At one point, I was teaching 9th grade English in the room in which I was taught 9th grade English--that was too weird even for me. Anyway, the prime minister (aka my wife) says I live at 5709 Memory Lane.
2) I'm descended from at least eight people who rode on the Mayflower and landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620. Thanksgiving is kind of a big deal for me.
3) I think I look good in cranberry and forest green, but my actual favorite colors are purple and silver, which I really wouldn't want to wear.
4) My parents met at a science fiction convention, as did the prime minister and I. (Not so likely for my kids, as we've stopped going.)
5) I'm a former Unitarian Universalist, which means that when I prayed, it was "to whom it may concern."
6) Polar bears are my favorite animal. Have been for years. I really see God's beauty, power, and playfulness in these creatures.
7) I support Mike Huckabee for president, and I think Pat Robertson and NRLC were totally out to lunch with their endorsements. Oh, and I'm a lifelong Democrat.
8) I have about 7500 comic books in the back basement, but I'm probably going to let go of about half of them as soon as I figure out how to use eBay.
Whew! Eight random facts in eight minutes. I don't blog enough to tag other people, so you'll have to consider yourselves tagged . . .
Saturday, August 25, 2007
I had the grey poop-on
So there I was, vacationing in West Virginia, and my mom (vacationing with us) wanted to take us to a fancy restaurant. I'd seen one in a small town only half an hour away a few days earlier, so up we went, 30 minutes away for a meal that was neither fast food nor a diner (and that we didn't cook ourselves).
We arrive in the parking lot, just in time for I pull the sleeping 15-month old, Choclo, out of his car seat. He dreamily snuggles against me. He's so warm, I think.
A little too warm.
I look down--and virtually his entire back is covered in mustardy poo, which had bravely escaped from the confines of Choclo's diaper. So is my arm. And half the chest of my grey shirt.
Did I mention that we were 30 minutes from home?
So I send Grammy, Pop, my wife, and the 4 other kids inside the restaurant, as I gloriously self-sacrificially tell everyone else I'll take care of it. A few diaper wipes my better half had pre-plannedly left in the car got rid of any, um, excess waste that the fabric hadn't absorbed. I then walked off, carrying Choclo, to find a clothing store.
Did I mention it was a small town?
I walked eight blocks on the main drag and found no clothing store. I did, however, stumble upon a gun shop. I saw jackets on sale through the window, and I dared to hope.
Now, I'm not into guns. I've never shot a gun. Truth be told, I don't particularly care for guns. But there I was--and it must have been a sale day or something, because there were about fifteen people in that gun shop, plus three behind the counter. I hugged Choclo a little closer to me, less to protect him then to try to cover up the large poop stains on my grey shirt. Using my free arm, I started looking through the jackets.
What an amazing array of camouflage they make these days. The normal brown-and-green I knew about, and I sort of knew about the more tannish desert camouflage, but black-and-white camouflage? What's the use of that? So that you won't be noticed if you're walking among zebras? I kept looking.
Yes, there was a T-shirt section. Gun photo T-shirts. NRA slogan T-shirts. You can have my handgun when you can pry it from my cold, dead fingers T-shirts.
"I'd rather wear the poopy shirt," I mutter. Very, very quietly, though.
Finally, I find a dull green shirt with a picture of a tree and the words "Mossy Oak." Same on the back, but bigger. It's $14.95. I normally don't pay more than $10 for anything. I go up to the counter without a second thought.
Have you ever tried to dig out a credit card while strategically holding a baby in order to conceal a large poop stain? If so, try signing the credit card slip afterwards. Whole new world.
Casually, I ask the cashier if they know anywhere nearby that sells baby clothes. Walking distance.
Blank looks.
"You know, like a thrift store or anything?"
Aha. They tell me about a thrift store just three blocks and two turns away.
I walk out holding the bag that loudly advertises me as a gun shop customer, priding myself on the fact that no one asked if they smelled anything funny. Three blocks and one turn away, I think maybe I should change my shirt. I could use the rare clean sections of the old shirt to wipe my chest down a little, I figure. Two things stopped me.
First, I wasn't quite sure what to do with Choclo while I changed. As I considered the question, I arrived at obstacle two: he was still poopy. Poopy baby + clean shirt = poopy shirt. Painful as it was, I kept the clean shirt in the bag and the poopy shirt on me.
The first thing I notice when I walk in the door of the thrift store is a big men's T-shirt rack, $1 each.
Well, I found a baby outfit, changed baby and me, and made it to dinner only 40 minutes late. I got lots of compliments from the assembly as to my shirt.
I still wear it today. But that grey shirt, not so much.
We arrive in the parking lot, just in time for I pull the sleeping 15-month old, Choclo, out of his car seat. He dreamily snuggles against me. He's so warm, I think.
A little too warm.
I look down--and virtually his entire back is covered in mustardy poo, which had bravely escaped from the confines of Choclo's diaper. So is my arm. And half the chest of my grey shirt.
Did I mention that we were 30 minutes from home?
So I send Grammy, Pop, my wife, and the 4 other kids inside the restaurant, as I gloriously self-sacrificially tell everyone else I'll take care of it. A few diaper wipes my better half had pre-plannedly left in the car got rid of any, um, excess waste that the fabric hadn't absorbed. I then walked off, carrying Choclo, to find a clothing store.
Did I mention it was a small town?
I walked eight blocks on the main drag and found no clothing store. I did, however, stumble upon a gun shop. I saw jackets on sale through the window, and I dared to hope.
Now, I'm not into guns. I've never shot a gun. Truth be told, I don't particularly care for guns. But there I was--and it must have been a sale day or something, because there were about fifteen people in that gun shop, plus three behind the counter. I hugged Choclo a little closer to me, less to protect him then to try to cover up the large poop stains on my grey shirt. Using my free arm, I started looking through the jackets.
What an amazing array of camouflage they make these days. The normal brown-and-green I knew about, and I sort of knew about the more tannish desert camouflage, but black-and-white camouflage? What's the use of that? So that you won't be noticed if you're walking among zebras? I kept looking.
Yes, there was a T-shirt section. Gun photo T-shirts. NRA slogan T-shirts. You can have my handgun when you can pry it from my cold, dead fingers T-shirts.
"I'd rather wear the poopy shirt," I mutter. Very, very quietly, though.
Finally, I find a dull green shirt with a picture of a tree and the words "Mossy Oak." Same on the back, but bigger. It's $14.95. I normally don't pay more than $10 for anything. I go up to the counter without a second thought.
Have you ever tried to dig out a credit card while strategically holding a baby in order to conceal a large poop stain? If so, try signing the credit card slip afterwards. Whole new world.
Casually, I ask the cashier if they know anywhere nearby that sells baby clothes. Walking distance.
Blank looks.
"You know, like a thrift store or anything?"
Aha. They tell me about a thrift store just three blocks and two turns away.
I walk out holding the bag that loudly advertises me as a gun shop customer, priding myself on the fact that no one asked if they smelled anything funny. Three blocks and one turn away, I think maybe I should change my shirt. I could use the rare clean sections of the old shirt to wipe my chest down a little, I figure. Two things stopped me.
First, I wasn't quite sure what to do with Choclo while I changed. As I considered the question, I arrived at obstacle two: he was still poopy. Poopy baby + clean shirt = poopy shirt. Painful as it was, I kept the clean shirt in the bag and the poopy shirt on me.
The first thing I notice when I walk in the door of the thrift store is a big men's T-shirt rack, $1 each.
Well, I found a baby outfit, changed baby and me, and made it to dinner only 40 minutes late. I got lots of compliments from the assembly as to my shirt.
I still wear it today. But that grey shirt, not so much.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
What does a moderate look like?
This is a photo of Joe Schriner. He has no elected experience, a fact I dislike. However, he's the candidate I'll probably vote for, via write-in, in November 2008.Simply put, this is the kind of moderate that a prior post bemoaned the lack of. He's staunchly pro-environment, pro-worker, and pro-consumer, positions few Republican senators endorse and even fewer vote for. But he also favors an amendment to the constitution to define marriage as one man and one woman, a position no Democratic senator favors.
He backs immigration reform that includes amnesty in name and in deed. He also wants a strong formal apology to all Native Americans, a land give-back, and the establishment of Native American History Month--positions far to the left of the Democratic Party. However, he also opposes abortion, euthanasia/physician assisted suicide, and embryonic stem-cell research that kills human embryos--a pretty far-Right set of beliefs. (Oh--and he opposes capital punishment, which virtually no one does nowadays.)
This mixture of positions, favoring neither one party nor another, is extremely close to my own. That's why, even though Joe has never even been a delegate in his home state, I'm (probably) going to Vote for Joe in Nov. 2008.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Books, books, everywhere!
Recently, my better half wrote about culling the herd. This also gave us the oportunity to organize a section of the kids' all-time favorite read-alouds. Not counting board books, here are the books we put in that section:
Angel in the Waters, Doman & Hatke: the most pro-life children's book of all time.
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type, Cronin & Lewin: pure silliness. Sequels abound, too.
More Bugs in Boxes, Carter: how they did some of these pop-ups, I'll never know. Carter's other buggy pop-up books are also great.
Small Acts of Kindness, Vollbracht & Fay: a book about providence and the effects of free will.
Dinosaur Roar!, Stickland & Stickland: a favorite from ages 2-7, a remarkably wide range.
Night House, Bright House, Wellington: very creative rhymes and highly detailed, if cartoonish, pictures.
Jabberwocky, Carroll & Base: it's hard to beat Lewis Carroll for read-aloud, and Graeme Base is one of our favorite children's illustrators.
Animalia, Base: insanely (and beautifully) detailed, it's the only alphabet book I know of that can take 15-30 minutes to read (depending on attention span).
No Matter What, Gliori: this book about unconditional love helped Klenda through a rough spat of tantrums a few years back, and I'll always be grateful to Debi Gliori for that.
Mouse's Magic Paints: A First Book of Colors, Healey & Chamberlain: as creative as Harold and the Purple Crayon, only with a more solid plot and cast of characters.
Mouse Paint, Walsh: what is it about mice and colors?
When the Rooster Crowed, Lillie & Parker: one of the best farm animal books out there, it often gets read five times per sitting.
Dear Zoo, Rod Campbell: a very silly lift-a-flap book.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Carle: a classic. Personally, I don't get the appeal, but all five kids have loved it, so there must be something there.
Bears in the Night, Berenstain & Berenstain: I don't think much of the Berenstains' books for older kids, but their "Bright and Early" books make for wonderful read-alouds. Another one that can easily be read five times at a sitting.
Bears on Wheels, Berenstain & Berenstain: ditto.
Gorgeous!, Castle & Shields: a baby zebra wanders off from the hers and has an adventure. Favorite quote: "Little Zeb trotted off behind Big Zeb on his brand-new, clippy-cloppy, springy-zingy legs."
Too Much Talk, Medearis & Vitale: a little disturbing, but excellent, this adaptation of an African folk tale has a theme that will resonate with children who are tired of adults not believing them.
The Princess and the Kiss, Bishop & McDaniels: an allegory on purity for girls, but most boys like it too.
The Squire and the Scroll, Bishop & McDaniels: an allegory on purity for boys, but most girls like it too.
Day Dreams: An Imagination Book, Adams: A very clever hide-and-reveal die-cut book.
William and the Magic Ring: A Shadow Casting Bedtime Story, Robinson: unfortunately expensive, but if you can find it used, it's worth a look. (New, it comes with a flashlight.) You provide the blank wall for this shadow-casting story. If you're creative, you can even design your own special effects by moving the flashlight closer or farther away from the book, moving the book (and therefore the shadows) in a circle, etc.
In the Forest, Ets: a classic read-aloud, full of imagination. The most peaceful book Choclo enjoys.
A Day on the Farm, Hulick & Miller: my favorite of the "Little Golden Book" series. Not big on laughs, but the kids love it every time.
The Little Book, Horvath & Wilkin: my second-favorite "Little Golden Book," the clever rhymes and lovely pictures entrance kids ages 2-4.
Caps for Sale, Slobodkina: another classic. Depending on how much animation you read it with, kids can be rolling on the floor.
Pickle Things, Marc Brown: out of print for years, I find this crazy book far superior to his work with "Arthur."
Henry's Awful Mistake, Quackenbush: also out of print, but easier to get used copies of. A lesson in keeping your temper.
Sheep in a Jeep, Shaw & Apple: a quick, rhyming read about some very silly sheep. Sequels abound here, too.
Is It Time?, Janovitz: a book about a very cute wolf cub as he takes his bath, brushes his teeth, etc. Rhyming.
A Pie Went By, Dunn & Santoro: King Bing wants Queen Bee to marry him, so he bakes her a cherry pie and carries it on his head. The animals conspire to get him to fall down so that they can eat it. Very silly.
God Bless the Gargoyles, Pilkey: this book about God's unconditional love for us holds unusual emotional resonance.
Thanks to you other bloggers out there who have volunteered your lists at other times!!
Angel in the Waters, Doman & Hatke: the most pro-life children's book of all time.
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type, Cronin & Lewin: pure silliness. Sequels abound, too.
More Bugs in Boxes, Carter: how they did some of these pop-ups, I'll never know. Carter's other buggy pop-up books are also great.
Small Acts of Kindness, Vollbracht & Fay: a book about providence and the effects of free will.
Dinosaur Roar!, Stickland & Stickland: a favorite from ages 2-7, a remarkably wide range.
Night House, Bright House, Wellington: very creative rhymes and highly detailed, if cartoonish, pictures.
Jabberwocky, Carroll & Base: it's hard to beat Lewis Carroll for read-aloud, and Graeme Base is one of our favorite children's illustrators.
Animalia, Base: insanely (and beautifully) detailed, it's the only alphabet book I know of that can take 15-30 minutes to read (depending on attention span).
No Matter What, Gliori: this book about unconditional love helped Klenda through a rough spat of tantrums a few years back, and I'll always be grateful to Debi Gliori for that.
Mouse's Magic Paints: A First Book of Colors, Healey & Chamberlain: as creative as Harold and the Purple Crayon, only with a more solid plot and cast of characters.
Mouse Paint, Walsh: what is it about mice and colors?
When the Rooster Crowed, Lillie & Parker: one of the best farm animal books out there, it often gets read five times per sitting.
Dear Zoo, Rod Campbell: a very silly lift-a-flap book.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Carle: a classic. Personally, I don't get the appeal, but all five kids have loved it, so there must be something there.
Bears in the Night, Berenstain & Berenstain: I don't think much of the Berenstains' books for older kids, but their "Bright and Early" books make for wonderful read-alouds. Another one that can easily be read five times at a sitting.
Bears on Wheels, Berenstain & Berenstain: ditto.
Gorgeous!, Castle & Shields: a baby zebra wanders off from the hers and has an adventure. Favorite quote: "Little Zeb trotted off behind Big Zeb on his brand-new, clippy-cloppy, springy-zingy legs."
Too Much Talk, Medearis & Vitale: a little disturbing, but excellent, this adaptation of an African folk tale has a theme that will resonate with children who are tired of adults not believing them.
The Princess and the Kiss, Bishop & McDaniels: an allegory on purity for girls, but most boys like it too.
The Squire and the Scroll, Bishop & McDaniels: an allegory on purity for boys, but most girls like it too.
Day Dreams: An Imagination Book, Adams: A very clever hide-and-reveal die-cut book.
William and the Magic Ring: A Shadow Casting Bedtime Story, Robinson: unfortunately expensive, but if you can find it used, it's worth a look. (New, it comes with a flashlight.) You provide the blank wall for this shadow-casting story. If you're creative, you can even design your own special effects by moving the flashlight closer or farther away from the book, moving the book (and therefore the shadows) in a circle, etc.
In the Forest, Ets: a classic read-aloud, full of imagination. The most peaceful book Choclo enjoys.
A Day on the Farm, Hulick & Miller: my favorite of the "Little Golden Book" series. Not big on laughs, but the kids love it every time.
The Little Book, Horvath & Wilkin: my second-favorite "Little Golden Book," the clever rhymes and lovely pictures entrance kids ages 2-4.
Caps for Sale, Slobodkina: another classic. Depending on how much animation you read it with, kids can be rolling on the floor.
Pickle Things, Marc Brown: out of print for years, I find this crazy book far superior to his work with "Arthur."
Henry's Awful Mistake, Quackenbush: also out of print, but easier to get used copies of. A lesson in keeping your temper.
Sheep in a Jeep, Shaw & Apple: a quick, rhyming read about some very silly sheep. Sequels abound here, too.
Is It Time?, Janovitz: a book about a very cute wolf cub as he takes his bath, brushes his teeth, etc. Rhyming.
A Pie Went By, Dunn & Santoro: King Bing wants Queen Bee to marry him, so he bakes her a cherry pie and carries it on his head. The animals conspire to get him to fall down so that they can eat it. Very silly.
God Bless the Gargoyles, Pilkey: this book about God's unconditional love for us holds unusual emotional resonance.
Thanks to you other bloggers out there who have volunteered your lists at other times!!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
57 Candidates and Nothing On
Never have I seen so many candidates with so few robes. With nearly 20 major declared candidates between the two major parties, and two credible third-party challenges possible (including multi-millionaire Michael Bloomberg), you would think there would be someone to vote for.
Instead, we have 22 candidates I'd be quite willing to vote against in favor of the lesser of two evils. How can there be no lesser of 22 evils? I don't understand it. In fact, out of my quite wide and diverse social circle (40+ adults), I only know four people enthusiastic about a candidate, and two of them favor Ron Paul. Of course, those supporters are a priest and a comic book store owner, so I'm not sure how representative that is of America at large--but I digress.
My mom has an idea for a fix. I didn't like it at first--it seemed downright un-American--but it's really grown on me.
She says that the problem is that Americans get to vote in the primaries. The country was much better off, she says, before the 1960's, when the primary system really began in earnest. Before then, party insiders met in "smoke-filled rooms" and decided what candidate had the best chance of winning the general election. That candidate would then be trotted out at the convention, at which point election season would begin.
The benefits to this system are manifold: we would get candidates closer to the middle of political thought, instead of now, when each side plays to their base so hard that we ended up last time with extreme-left John Kerry and extreme-right George W. Bush, neither of whom represented American thinking at all. That election produced enormous feelings of animosity, as did the one before.
The day after the 2006 congressional election, the presidential election season began. Incredible amounts of money have been raised, destroying the public-financing system. Congress passes no meaningful legislation because (a) so many senators are out campaigning and (b) each candidate wants to complain that their pet bill needs to get passed, so they need to be president, quietly taking steps to make sure that their pet bill does *not* get passed when the rhetoric is still needed.
Everyone's talking about changing the primary calendar, creating a rotating system based on geographical zones, finding a better primary debate format. Instead, let's return to smoke-filled rooms. None of the would-be emperors have anything on.
Instead, we have 22 candidates I'd be quite willing to vote against in favor of the lesser of two evils. How can there be no lesser of 22 evils? I don't understand it. In fact, out of my quite wide and diverse social circle (40+ adults), I only know four people enthusiastic about a candidate, and two of them favor Ron Paul. Of course, those supporters are a priest and a comic book store owner, so I'm not sure how representative that is of America at large--but I digress.
My mom has an idea for a fix. I didn't like it at first--it seemed downright un-American--but it's really grown on me.
She says that the problem is that Americans get to vote in the primaries. The country was much better off, she says, before the 1960's, when the primary system really began in earnest. Before then, party insiders met in "smoke-filled rooms" and decided what candidate had the best chance of winning the general election. That candidate would then be trotted out at the convention, at which point election season would begin.
The benefits to this system are manifold: we would get candidates closer to the middle of political thought, instead of now, when each side plays to their base so hard that we ended up last time with extreme-left John Kerry and extreme-right George W. Bush, neither of whom represented American thinking at all. That election produced enormous feelings of animosity, as did the one before.
The day after the 2006 congressional election, the presidential election season began. Incredible amounts of money have been raised, destroying the public-financing system. Congress passes no meaningful legislation because (a) so many senators are out campaigning and (b) each candidate wants to complain that their pet bill needs to get passed, so they need to be president, quietly taking steps to make sure that their pet bill does *not* get passed when the rhetoric is still needed.
Everyone's talking about changing the primary calendar, creating a rotating system based on geographical zones, finding a better primary debate format. Instead, let's return to smoke-filled rooms. None of the would-be emperors have anything on.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Why do genealogy at all?
My family doesn't have a president in its past, or anyone who signed the Declaration of Independence, or anything like that. My family's nearest brush with greatness seems to have coalesced in the form of my great-great-grandfather, Adelbert Kendall (that's "uh-DELL-bert," by the way).
I never met the man, of course. But he lived a full life. In his time, he was a farmer, prospector, deputy sheriff, volunteer militiaman, postmaster, lawyer, bank vice-president, judge, and real-estate magnate. The trick in writing his biography, though, is to tell his life in an elegant, engaging way that avoids phrases like "Adelbert Kendall was born."
And once one adds elegance, the story becomes more tricky. I find myself hypothesizing motives, trying to discern causes of death, making inferences about the presence or absence of extended family. I find myself wondering what season a certain event took place in so that I can add imagery, or wondering what the odds were for a 17-year old male living in Vermont during the height of the Civil War to be drafted.
What's really ironic is that I know so much about this man. I have not a single photograph, but I feel that I know him better than I know any other ancestor (aside from the ones I've met--and even some of those).
My better half, who jokingly refers to Adelbert as "the con artist," recently asked me why I'm interested in genealogy. I think at least part of it is seeing myself in the context of the history of the world, seeing human nature at work, and being inspired by those who have gone before me. Seeing my family as having a story, and realizing that I'm now a part of that story.
Bet meeting new cousins is awesome, too, especially when you already have the common interest of genealogy. So far, I seem to have about the best cousins on the planet.
Plus, finding out new information, or most especially breaking down a long-standing genealogical brick wall one or two more generations, is just plain fun.
Why do genealogy?
I never met the man, of course. But he lived a full life. In his time, he was a farmer, prospector, deputy sheriff, volunteer militiaman, postmaster, lawyer, bank vice-president, judge, and real-estate magnate. The trick in writing his biography, though, is to tell his life in an elegant, engaging way that avoids phrases like "Adelbert Kendall was born."
And once one adds elegance, the story becomes more tricky. I find myself hypothesizing motives, trying to discern causes of death, making inferences about the presence or absence of extended family. I find myself wondering what season a certain event took place in so that I can add imagery, or wondering what the odds were for a 17-year old male living in Vermont during the height of the Civil War to be drafted.
What's really ironic is that I know so much about this man. I have not a single photograph, but I feel that I know him better than I know any other ancestor (aside from the ones I've met--and even some of those).
My better half, who jokingly refers to Adelbert as "the con artist," recently asked me why I'm interested in genealogy. I think at least part of it is seeing myself in the context of the history of the world, seeing human nature at work, and being inspired by those who have gone before me. Seeing my family as having a story, and realizing that I'm now a part of that story.
Bet meeting new cousins is awesome, too, especially when you already have the common interest of genealogy. So far, I seem to have about the best cousins on the planet.
Plus, finding out new information, or most especially breaking down a long-standing genealogical brick wall one or two more generations, is just plain fun.
Why do genealogy?
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Who's Oob?
Okay, so it's time to introduce the kids. (This would also be a good time to discuss real-kid-names versus fake-kid-names, but I'll leave that for my better half to do.)
First, we have 10-y.o. boy Myxl, who loves robots and acting crazy. He's the one who just got the Lego Mindstorms NXT from his incredibly generous grandparents, an aunt, and an uncle.
Second, 8-y.o. Klenda is a horse enthusiast. She and Myxl are "nutty buddies," and have been ever since she could toddle.
Third, Zorg is a 6-y.o. boy who loves cub scouts and cats. He's the boy I wrote about earlier, the one who is well on his way to being able to read.
Fourth, our 5-y.o. girl is Leena. She has more nicknames than our other five children combined (we don't know how that happened, it just did: Sunshine Girl, Queen of the Squirrels, Jellybean Queen, Lima Bean, etc.).
Fifth, we have a 2-y.o. boy, Choclo. Chocolate was, in fact, one of his first ten words. It's good to be the fifth child.
Sixth and finally (for now), we have 12-week old boy Oob. There's not much we can say about him, except that he got up at 3 and didn't get back to sleep until about 6. That's A.M., folks. ("Oob" is about all we can say aloud after something like that.)
Last, I'll just post a "Shout Out" to my nieces Burger and Zippy. Hi out there!!
I'll try to find some way to put a "key" permanently on the side of the blog, but this will do for now.
First, we have 10-y.o. boy Myxl, who loves robots and acting crazy. He's the one who just got the Lego Mindstorms NXT from his incredibly generous grandparents, an aunt, and an uncle.
Second, 8-y.o. Klenda is a horse enthusiast. She and Myxl are "nutty buddies," and have been ever since she could toddle.
Third, Zorg is a 6-y.o. boy who loves cub scouts and cats. He's the boy I wrote about earlier, the one who is well on his way to being able to read.
Fourth, our 5-y.o. girl is Leena. She has more nicknames than our other five children combined (we don't know how that happened, it just did: Sunshine Girl, Queen of the Squirrels, Jellybean Queen, Lima Bean, etc.).
Fifth, we have a 2-y.o. boy, Choclo. Chocolate was, in fact, one of his first ten words. It's good to be the fifth child.
Sixth and finally (for now), we have 12-week old boy Oob. There's not much we can say about him, except that he got up at 3 and didn't get back to sleep until about 6. That's A.M., folks. ("Oob" is about all we can say aloud after something like that.)
Last, I'll just post a "Shout Out" to my nieces Burger and Zippy. Hi out there!!
I'll try to find some way to put a "key" permanently on the side of the blog, but this will do for now.
Our Trip to New Jersey
We just got back yesterday from a week-long trip to Northern New Jersey to see Wendy's family. It was the first time in 10 years that she was with her brother and her sister at the same time (not to mention her parents). Yes, things were a little hectic and stressful, and there was of course the obligatory misunderstanding, but thankfully we got it over with on day two.
There were two main attractions. First, we visited Bushkill Falls (in NE Pennsylvania) which is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been (and the prices were quite manageable, even for our 6-kid family). However, for those who are tempted, I do wish I could have re-done that decision and left those kids who were under 5 at home. It was simply too dangerous for them--or at least, it was too dangerous for us to have taken infant Oob and toddler Choclo both at once.
Our other main visit was Space Farms (in NW New Jersey), a "please-DO-feed-the-animals" zoo combined with a museum of whatever the founder, Ralph Space, was interested in (dolls, cars, clocks, rifles, etc.--all antique, of course). All five non-infants loved it. This was more expensive, though, for our family size, so you'd have to think about it. We saw everything there was to see, moved at the attention span of our kids, and stayed just over 4 hours (including lunch). The biggest attraction is definitely that you get to feed the animals, many of them by hand.
Finally, we did some genealogy. I dropped off some ship manifests that I'd found for Wendy's dad, and we got almost another hour of old family stories on our digital audio recorder (DAR). We also gave copies of the first two CD's worth of old stories to Wendy's brother and sister. We left the DAR up north for brother and sister (who are still there--they're both able to stay several weeks, the lucky dogs) to use with dad and mom.
Those of you who are collecting old family stories, I encourage you to encourage your brothers and sisters to do at least one interview of the older generation. They'll ask different questions than you would, and you'll therefore hear some stories you'd never hear otherwise. I'm looking forward to what our experiment will turn up when we get the DAR back next month.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Genealogy: Things you'd rather not know
One of the tricks with genealogy is how much you find. What if you discover something you'd rather not know? For example, in my family, I've found out that we have a slave trader in our background. Is that information I try to let "die"?
We have two suicides in the 20th cy.; how much do we dance around that versus just talking openly about it?
A great-uncle or great-great-uncle on one side (no, I'm not telling any more) had a mistress, a fact fairly public at the time. Still, I feel like I shouldn't know this! But now that I do, what do I do with the information?
My grandmother was wrong about the name of her grandmother--apparently, the family had succeeded in destroying the fact that the actual mother had died when the kids were quite young, and the husband had remarried. Do I respect the family's c. 1900 wishes and follow the remarriage, or do we go with the truth? (And we have at least one other case of mistaken parenthood in another line, by the way.)
We have a diary of a dead relative, and it turns out that she had trouble getting along with another family member. We have a letter from a G-grandmother to another relative in the 1940's which reveals that the writer was a racist.
My grandmother, in her family history (a six-page document she created in the 1970's), clearly tried to whitewash everything, never mentioning anything negative about anyone. She gave a lot of useful information, but she deliberately skipped a lot. Was she right to do so?
I once asked her daughter, my aunt, if she knew why her father (my grandfather) had committed suicide. She shook her head adamantly and said, "Uh-uh, no way. I know, and no one else knows, and when I die, that dies with me." Was she right?
I don't have any answers. I'm just looking, thinking, and asking.
We have two suicides in the 20th cy.; how much do we dance around that versus just talking openly about it?
A great-uncle or great-great-uncle on one side (no, I'm not telling any more) had a mistress, a fact fairly public at the time. Still, I feel like I shouldn't know this! But now that I do, what do I do with the information?
My grandmother was wrong about the name of her grandmother--apparently, the family had succeeded in destroying the fact that the actual mother had died when the kids were quite young, and the husband had remarried. Do I respect the family's c. 1900 wishes and follow the remarriage, or do we go with the truth? (And we have at least one other case of mistaken parenthood in another line, by the way.)
We have a diary of a dead relative, and it turns out that she had trouble getting along with another family member. We have a letter from a G-grandmother to another relative in the 1940's which reveals that the writer was a racist.
My grandmother, in her family history (a six-page document she created in the 1970's), clearly tried to whitewash everything, never mentioning anything negative about anyone. She gave a lot of useful information, but she deliberately skipped a lot. Was she right to do so?
I once asked her daughter, my aunt, if she knew why her father (my grandfather) had committed suicide. She shook her head adamantly and said, "Uh-uh, no way. I know, and no one else knows, and when I die, that dies with me." Was she right?
I don't have any answers. I'm just looking, thinking, and asking.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Homeschooling: Teaching a 6-yo boy to read
We've always used a combination of Leap Frog products and Bob Books to teach our kids to read. This worked great for our first two kids. But when our 5-yo girl recently started reading books on her own while our 6-yo boy was still struggling with phonics readers, we suspected we had a problem. We're looking into whether it's got a name.
In the mean time, we've found two products that have helped him catch up somewhat. The first is a book called Reading Reflex that I'd used with teenagers some years back. It starts out with manipulative letters (lots of prep time needed) to build awareness of phonemes and letter order, then teaches a few extra sounds--ch, sh, etc. Then it moves into the advanced code, especially focusing on vowels (but losing the manipulatives, I'm afraid). We don't do all the supplemental activities, but it can get as involved as you want. To add motivation, we give him a cheeseball every few words. The activities in this book haven't made him a perfect reader, but they've de-mystified a lot of the code for him.
The other thing that's helped him is our purchase of the Faith and Freedom Readers from Seton (BTW, we aren't normally Seton-type people, but more eclectic or tidal). This series is just super; pure Catholicism! (Yes, no one is carrying cell phones, but it's otherwise excellent.) The 6 yo boy is through the first reader and well into the second, and he's *enjoying* reading them. The bonus is that our 8-yo girl and 10-yo boy glommed on to the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade books and drank them up in a matter of days. Pure gold.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Changes
First post! Here's an introduction: I'm a 37-year old father of six. We homeschool and are part of a once-a-week Catholic co-op.
My eldest son just celebrated his 10th birthday last weekend. His big present from his grandparents? He's playing with it right now.
As a Lay Dominican, I enjoy going "into the deep" in terms of Church teaching and spirituality (well, I'm trying, anyway). We just sponsored a great pro-life lecture; I'll have to tell you about it later.
I just dropped weekly comics today--having been buying comic books since I had an allowance--and I am moving to "all trades."
I just talked with a long-lost cousin in Kansas yesterday and found out that we both have photos with relatives we can't identify. We're trading prisoners next week.
My eldest son just celebrated his 10th birthday last weekend. His big present from his grandparents? He's playing with it right now.
As a Lay Dominican, I enjoy going "into the deep" in terms of Church teaching and spirituality (well, I'm trying, anyway). We just sponsored a great pro-life lecture; I'll have to tell you about it later.
I just dropped weekly comics today--having been buying comic books since I had an allowance--and I am moving to "all trades."
I just talked with a long-lost cousin in Kansas yesterday and found out that we both have photos with relatives we can't identify. We're trading prisoners next week.
I teach 10th grade honors English, but it's summer break right now. Woo-hoo!! I just read a book that really makes me trhink about how I grade my students; I think I'll start that next year.
Last week, we had a board meeting for Democrats for Life of Maryland. (Anyone want to join?)
After this, I'll post on one thing at a time, but I wanted you to have a taste of my short-attention-span-theater life. God calls me to holiness one
distraction at a time.
Last week, we had a board meeting for Democrats for Life of Maryland. (Anyone want to join?)
After this, I'll post on one thing at a time, but I wanted you to have a taste of my short-attention-span-theater life. God calls me to holiness one
distraction at a time.
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