An Interlude

My next "real" post will be after the big Beer, Brats and Bride fest! In the meantime,

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Merino Wool.You are very easygoing and sweet. People like to keep you close because you are so softhearted. You love to be comfortable and warm from your head to your toes. Take this quiz! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Which Flower are You?

You are an Iris:You are logical, analytical, dignified, and wise. You are studious by nature and may prefer books to people. You tend to be a serious person but are capable of making others laugh with your dry sense of humor. Friends always benefit from your advice.Symbolism: Over the centuries the iris has come to symbolize faith, wisdom, hope, and promise in love.
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More of the Same

I wanted to update everyone that yesterday I received the books I ordered from Book Closeouts. I ordered them late Friday night, so they made it here in good time, and the shipping is not overpriced either, which is how some places with low prices "make up the difference." I did have the items sent UPS; media mail will take quite a bit longer but is of course cheaper!

On the subject of books, what do all you parents with school-age kids think/do on the subject of "reading" in the higher grades? The Scientist devours any book within reach, and her comprehension is fairly good. Is there any more to it than that? She doesn't always see the "deeper meanings" English classes are so fond of; you know, like "What was the author trying to say with the thunderstorm during the argument of the two main characters?" yada yada yada. But I think she's a bit young for that yet. By the way, she's ten, eleven all too soon!

Another question for you Ohioans, or anyone who knows of a good source for maps. I am doing some history of the state of Ohio this year, and I would like to find a good size map that shows important roads, cities, historical places, etc. A road map might work but is really a bit cluttered for what I ideally want. Also it would be great to have a topographical map where the girls could see, for example, how much flatter the land is here in the northern part of the state than down south. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!

On the Big Government front, it is of course the national government's job to get all obese children in this country to lose weight, right? And yet experts are bemoaning the government shutting down "a promising program that portrayed exercise as cool." So let me get this straight, kids are supposed to resist every temptation to smoke cigarettes, but these "slick ads" encouraging kids to exercise were working so well? Of course, the government did basically force cigarette companies to quit running a lot of their "slick ads." Obviously our children just need the proper advertising, and at a cost of $59 million last year, what a steal! State and local projects do seem a little more promising, and more appropriate at the local level, like new bike paths or a community garden. Still, I dislike reading quotes from "experts" that talk about "full-scale" social change being needed. And of course they should be in charge. Sorry, but no. My husband and I will decide how our family should live, thankyouverymuch!

I'm also disturbed by the reaction of a woman's family to her sentence of 8 years for starting a fire in her home and keeping her two daughters inside. Fortunately, neighbors managed to save them. The woman has problems, yes. The family admitted she was schizophrenic and off her meds when she almost killed her daughters. However, I disagree with what her stepfather said: "She needs help more than jail time. You know, I thought the system would rehabilitate people, not incarcerate." Well, if she needs help, where was her family? Why weren't they making sure she was taking her meds? Maybe she shouldn't even be living alone with just herself and her two daughters? For that matter, where is the children's father? Hello, the Criminal Justice System's job is to incarcerate! How can "the system" rehabilitate her? How will they magically insure she takes her meds once she is free? There are plenty of psychiatrists out there, and even financial assistance if you can't afford the payments. Perhaps her family should make sure she starts seeing one when she gets out of the joint. And I say this as a person who has seen mental issues/problems with being off medication/not admitting you have issues at all. But the first responsibility lies with the individual, and then with family/friends when things become difficult for the individual, and they can, and probably will. I wouldn't trust "the system" to "fix" anyone.

Juggling Act

All too quickly, we've gotten back into the busy routine of the school year. Wildchild started ballet today. I don't have a picture yet, but that's okay. She wanted a skirt to wear with her leotard, but I told her to wait and see if any of the other girls had them. They do, so next week she will have her skirt too, plus a bag to carry her shoes and clothes in. At the moment, she is taking the class in the morning. There are mostly children a few years younger, as the children her age are largely in "regular school," but there is another homeschooled girl in there for now. This may change later as this girl has four older siblings at home who are also involved in activities, and the mom juggles the schedule around! We may change Wildchild's classtime then too, although I love having it in the morning and getting it done with, not to mention avoiding the heavier traffic later in the day! Plus working dinner around, say, an activity that starts before 5 or ends after 6.

The Scientist started gymnastics on Saturday. I hate having a Saturday class, but she is in the beginner's level class, and that was the only time there were several other girls her age, and not just a bunch of much younger children (the Scientist is ten.) At least classes at this gym run on something like an eight-week schedule, so we may be able to get a different class next time. I like to leave Saturday completely open for family fun and relaxation.

Then the Scientist has Latin once a week, and Wildchild goes to Brownies twice a month. This isn't really a lot, and I think these activities are useful for the girls, but sometimes it all seems like too much! Of course, part of that is my personality, I suppose. I do need to get out, but mostly I like being at home. I hate it when my time is regulated outside of my own control as well. Yeah, I'm just a control freak. :) There are also some other places we need to go this week in addition to the regular set, which adds to my feeling that we'll be living in the car! :) I'm glad gas prices have gone down, at least!

A Few School-Related Things

First of all, I discovered to my surprise today that Target had a decent selection of school supplies marked down on clearance. I mean basic stuff, like tape, pencils, pens. And scissors! Scissors are always disappearing at our house. I was happy to get a good price on stuff we go through like crazy anyway.

And speaking of good prices, check out the prices on books here! One caveat, their website does not operate in real time, so a book on their site may not actually be available. Five of the six books I ordered were in stock though, so not bad. When I get the books, I'll let you know how their shipping service, etc. was.

Lastly, for those who love to gaze at the sky and the stars, the Astronomy Picture of the Day offered by NASA is always a fun and informative look. Here's some pictures of a lunar eclipse that my girls stayed up late to see with their father in October of 2004. Their mom also spent some time outside watching it. :)

Trying to Escape Punishment

Scottius Maximus says, "Don't do da crime, if you can't do da time." However, the idea nowadays seems to be, do the crime, then try to cop a plea for a reduced sentence. Scottius presents us with the case of the 72-year-old ex-Governor of Illinois, George Ryan, who received six and a half years of jail time for corruption. His lawyer gave a sob story of how his client needed time to be with his family before he dies. Well, he should have thought about that before he lined his own and his buddies' pockets, shouldn't he?

Recently in this area, a man had the stones to stand before a judge to try to get his two-year sentence reduced. He was convicted of dumping his newborn son's body in a quarry. The mother only received six years for killing her son. I think they both got off easy. Stabbing and beating your newborn son to death, then dumping his body, requires a heartlessness I can't understand. Old George Ryan up there is getting worse, and there were no lives lost in his case.

Then, a man on his twelfth convicted DUI kills two teenagers and leaves another to suffer physically, not to mention emotionally. Yet Mr. DUI tells the judge, "I'm not the monster I am made out to be." Fortunately the judge didn't buy it and gave him the maximum sentence, 38 years before being considered for parole.

Wanting to escape punishment is normal, starting as a toddler caught "red-handed." But when you get older, you are supposed to learn to face the consequences of your actions. Aren't you?

Run Run Run!

Yesterday the Scientist had her first Latin class of the 2006-2007 school year. We also needed groceries desperately and the Scientist needed shoes desperately. So we took care of those tasks. I also signed the Scientist up for gymnastics classes. She starts Saturday.

Then today, my sister-in-law and her husband came up to Cleveland for a medical visit. When she was done, I picked up my husband from work and we met for lunch at Don Pablo's. And especially since my in-laws grew up in Youngstown, what could be better for dessert than some yummy Handel's! My brother-in-law was familiar with the store, as he has worked on installing the air conditioning and refrigeration system in every Handel's. As franchises out of Youngstown, I guess they use the same Youngstown firm every time. Here's my great sister-in-law with her loving nieces! Oh, and Lutheran Lucy, this is the sister-in-law who also Loves Lucy. Notice the red hair color!

Then I had to buy tights and ballet shoes for Wildchild, who is taking ballet this year. We had to drive to downtown Craphole Elyria, which I am going to try to never, ever, do again. The traffic is aggravating, the lights are annoying; it was just a pain. But aren't these ballet shoes so cuuuuuuute?

And speaking of ballet, after reading my post about the book Ballet Shoes, a (currently) anonymous blog reader and member of my church loaned me these three books to read to my daughters. I'm looking forward to it, and very thankful for the loan!

Fortunately, I have no place to go tomorrow, so we can really dive into the schoolwork. Not that I haven't been taking advantage of all the time in the car. The Scientist read all of Island of the Blue Dolphins today during our trips around town!

My Labor Day Adventures

Well, I now have some pictures sent to me by the Die-Hard Equestrian, who was kind enough to share the fruits of her labor. So now I can share with you my fun day yesterday! We met her, her parents (Die Steppdecken des Quilter und Die Schreiben von Schreiber), and her little siblings who don't have blogs yet :), at the National Air Show, which is an annual event at Burke Lakefront Airport over Labor Day Weekend. Actually, we sat in the parking lot across the street from the airport, from which we still had a fine view of the airplanes in the sky, although we were woefully ill-prepared with our tailgating supplies. The highlight, of course, was the awe-inspiring precision of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. Here's some pics.



After hanging out for a while waiting for the majority of the crowd to leave the Airshow, we had dinner at Eat 'N' Park with the von Trapp Terrors. :P If the Die-Hard Equestrian had gotten into the picture, she coulda been Liesl, but she preferred to be on the other side of the camera. Oh well. "We hate to go, and miss this pretty si-ight!"

One advantage of having so many kids along, they got their own booth, and the adults (with the exception of Little Trouble and Liesl) had their own booth! Woo hoo! The kids actually behaved rather well, for five enthusiastic young ones between the ages of eleven and four.

And since Heather has asked about the origin of my blog name, it's based on an online quiz which sadly is no longer available. I'd love to see how some of you turned out! However, you can read about it in this post and following comments at baldilock's place. Here's a summary of me: You are an SEDF--Sober Emotional Destructive Follower. This makes you an evil genius. You are extremely focused and difficult to distract from your tasks. With luck, you have learned to channel your energies into improving your intellect, rather than destroying the weak and unsuspecting.

Your friends may find you remote and a hard nut to crack. Few of your peers know you very well--even those you have known a long time--because you have expert control of the face you put forth to the world. You prefer to observe, calculate, discern and decide. Your decisions are final, and your desire to be right is impenetrable.

You are not to be messed with. You may explode.
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Since the above is all too accurate, I started calling myself the Evil Genius, and thus this blog! Don't you feel better now that you know?

Let's Talk Cleveland

Had a very nice day today, but I will talk more about that when I get some pics emailed to me. I was too lazy and disorganized today to bring a camera along on our adventures.

In the meantime, I wanted to share a frustration of mine. My youngest daughter has become interested in Balto, the lead sled dog on the last leg of an urgent trip to get diphtheria serum to Nome, Alaska. She recently watched the movie loosely based on his adventures. As I feared, the scene where men are crafting coffins for children who might die due to the disease was a little unsettling, but not overwhelming.

Anyway, we took a trip to the bookstore to fill in a few holes left in the homeschool curriculum, and I bought my daughter an "early reader" type book about Balto. Now why do so many books and web articles talk about a statue of Balto put up in New York City, but do not talk about how the city of Cleveland put together $2,000 (in the 1920's) in the space of two weeks to rescue Balto and his teammates from a vaudeville owner who was mistreating them? The dogs then happily lived out the rest of their lives at the Cleveland Zoo, and the Cleveland Musuem of Natural History now has Balto's body, which has been stuffed, periodically on display. I suppose they don't think little kids should read about Balto being mistreated, but why not give Cleveland some credit here? We need all of it we can get!

As a matter of fact, I discovered that the Cleveland Museum of Natural History will be having a presentation early next year about Balto's trip. Ironically, it is on Wildchild's birthday, which is also the day the sled dog team finally pulled into Nome with the serum. At least my daughter will have something to associate with her birthday beside Groundhog's Day! I'm thinking a homeschool trip to the presentation might be fun. Anyone else think so?

Whoa!

For a team that's not going anywhere this year, the Indians are sure giving us a show! Tonight Kevin Kouzmanoff became only the third player in Major League history to hit a grand slam in his first major league at bat, and the first one to hit it off of the first pitch. Wow. Good thing mom and dad were there to see that.

And Mastny has shown he has the chutzpah for a closer, for sure! I didn't see that close call at the plate, but Mastny still deserves props for keeping himself together.

I thought the season was dead, but our Tribe keeps pulling out more surprises for us! Good for them for their hard work.

Working at It

I've been promising that I would share more about my homeschool dilemma, but I just haven't known how to explain it. I've been thinking it over, and even found some mothers online who are or have sent their children to public school although they think homeschooling is optimal. That has helped me focus my own thoughts and made me feel braver about expressing this. I have been to homeschooling blogs that say, if you can't homeschool your kids, there's something wrong. It helped to hear from other moms who said, we were having a problem at the time and here's why.

First of all, I am not a very organized person. I find it hard to implement a schedule on my own, although when I was a student and even in the work force, I managed working with an externally imposed schedule. Now I know I can improve my organizational skills, work on creating a schedule, etc. But I still feel my abilities will be below those to whom this sort of thing comes naturally, and I think these skills are important for effective homeschooling.

Also, I just don't feel like my personality as a teacher is optimal for my children's as students. Sure, I did help them learn things throughout baby- and toddlerhood, but in many ways their father, for example, is much better at explaining things to them, getting a point across. This can lead to a lot of butting of heads during teaching which makes things more difficult and less enjoyable. I'm also a real introvert, and I need lots of alone time. The girls are not always good about working on their own, and I am sometimes frustrated about all the direct supervision I still have to give them.

The other side of this is, my daughters, the Scientist especially, did not always thrive in a school environment either. The Scientist attended a Lutheran school from preschool to second grade, and she had the same problem throughout: concentrating on her work. She always had trouble getting her work done on time, and of course the higher up in grade she went, the more important it became. There were other things we were dissatisfied with, but this is the one that would plague her in any school environment. We're working on it with her, but we her parents are much more suited to tackle this than a teacher with twenty or so other students.

Wildchild, well, she suits her name. She finds it hard to sit still. She is not as in to learning for its own sake as the Scientist; she needs to have an extra bit of interest, such as the book we went through last spring about princesses. She likes princesses, so the stories kept her attention. I can't always make it "fun" for her though, and when she doesn't want to learn something, she fights me tooth and nail. And some things just can't be put off. Like say, reading. I'm not sure how she would do in an outside school environment. Probably get in trouble all the time for talking too much and not sitting still.

The teaching content part is not actually that much of a problem! My husband and I balance each other well in that regard. He is a computer science geek and mathematician; he also thought of majoring in physics and was a lab assistant in high school chemistry. I studied German and Spanish in high school and college, I was good at English, I've written copy and proofread text, I've studied a little piano and art, and I come from a very artistic family. Oddly enough, I feel I could probably teach them through most of high school with my husband's help, and there is a community college right down the street to fill in the few gaps. It's just our personalities and styles that are an issue!

Let's Talk Books!

A couple of weeks ago I was at the home of the Pistol Packin' Presbytera and was browsing through a homeschool catalog she had out. I saw a book in there entitled Ballet Shoes, which I had read as a child and enjoyed very much. I'd almost forgetten about it, but now I want my daughters to read it! I thought it might be fun to talk about some not-so-famous books that you enjoyed and want to share with others.

Another book I enjoyed as a child was Twenty and Ten, by Claire Huchet Bishop. It is a story about children at a Catholic school in France hiding some Jewish children among them during WWII. It's an introduction to the Holocaust without the more mature themes of life in a concentration camp, etc. This book does not seem to be available for purchase at all anymore, so I think we will have to find it at the library.

Which is another topic of conversation! Do you need to own all your books, or can you take them out of the library? I feel the need to own books, because I like to re-read books and because we are terrible about taking books back to the library! (blushes) I think our home needs some built-in bookshelves!

Lions and Tigers and Bloggers! Oh My!

The Quilter and I took our offspring to the zoo today. Actually, the Quilter had kindly (if insanely) taken my two girls home after church yesterday, so I met them at the zoo. We didn't see everything at the zoo, but we did visit the exhibit where you could reach into the water and touch stingrays and small sharks. The exhibit closes after Labor Day, and this was the last "free Monday" of the season for those who live in Cuyahoga County, where the zoo is located, so we took advantage of it. We also saw some other fun animals, including some fellow confessional Lutherans! Theo(logical) Universe was there with two of his children and his father the Pistol Packin' Presbyter, who really ought to get his own blog! Die-Hard Equestrian was also representing the blogging crowd, but since she has the Curse of the Photographer as well, she took the picture.


After Cedar Point on Friday, the zoo today, and spending Saturday afternoon and evening with my in-laws who were up for a soccer game my nephew played in town (he attends Cardinal Mooney High School), I'm ready for a rest!!!

Ride On!

Yesterday was Homeschool Day at Cedar Point. An excellent opportunity: cheaper admission, refillable drink cups, meal tickets and a less crowded park. The Pistol Packin' Presbyter and Presbytera were able to make the trip with us. The Presbyter and I rode the Raptor, Blue Streak, Disaster Transport, Magnum, Power Tower and Gemini, sometimes with the Scientist and Wildchild. Alas, the Presbytera has no stomach for most rides, and had enough for a time after Sir Rub A Dub's Tubs. (Picture is a stock picture from the files of the Evil Genius. We had too much fun yesterday to take time for pictures.) Presbytera did happily join us bumping into one another on the Dodgems later.













The Presbytera also rode the Cedar Downs with us, and my memory did not serve me wrong! Cedar Downs is one of only two racing derby rides in the U.S. I knew there were very few of this fun ride around. Interestingly enough, the Cedar Downs was previously at Euclid Beach Park. Perhaps the Presbyter and Presbytera rode it there?

I thank the Presbyter and Presbytera for spending the very fun day with us, and hope that next year we will have more company! Quilter, I'm looking at you! Thank you also to P & P for listening to my rhapsodies about my very favoritest amusement park in the world! Homeschool Day was very nice: nicer guests, less smoking, no dropping of the F-bomb that I heard, not crowded at all. The Presbyter got some tremors upon spotting a guest in line for Raptor carrying a Rosary, but I managed to calm him down. :) Ride early, ride often!

How About Them Indians?

That game was so much fun last night! To be down 10-1 in the first, come back to tie it 13 all in the ninth, and win it 15-13 in the tenth! Interesting for any fan of baseball. Last night the youngsters were teaching the old guys how to get it done. Choo, Garko, Grady, Luna.... Mastny did a respectable job closing the game, although he's too young to pin our hopes on yet. I just saw that Choo shares my birthday, too, although he is a few years younger than I!

Being the crazy night owl insomniac I am, I then listened to Kevin Keane's entire show. Kevin was encouraging listeners to call fellow Indians fans who had probably shut the game off after the first inning and gone to bed. Kevin called his mom, who of course had stayed up for the whole thing. She did raise Kevin, after all. The only person I could have called was Marie at the Homestead Lutheran Academy, but I didn't think she'd appreciate it! Yes, our season is dead, but it was fun watching the game anyway. There's always next year!

The Plot Thickens!

Well, after a lot of attention and a few emails to DK from Misha's readers, DK has made a hasty change to the book cover. However, the old, inaccurate cover still exists for sale on Amazon. My husband is of the opinion that the Amazon cover is the "real" cover, that is, what you would get if you purchased the book, because the new one on the DK site does not look as polished. In any case, I have now saved a copy of the old cover to my hard drive, in case of further updating by DK. I guess I am now a citizen reporter. Heh.

It's the Great Pumpkin!

My daughters want to be gardeners! We just haven't been able to provide them with a garden. That is, the soil around here is not that great, and we haven't had the money to bring in better soil and make a nice garden. However, that doesn't stop my girls! They plant seeds wherever they can. Last year, they planted pumpkin seeds with their little neighbor in the neighbor's small garden area. The mom thought the girls had just been pretending, as they often do. Until the pumpkin plants came up. This year, we are the ones with the pumpkin plants! One in our poor, neglected flower bed, one by the corner of the house.













Look how tall the one in the flower bed is! Sincerity as far as the eye can see. :) I guess we'll be set for Halloween! Maybe we should just give up on nice, landscaped beds in front of our house and make a garden next year. Bet our neighbors would love that.

Um, What?

So I'm browsing through the Dorling Kindersley web page; they've got lots of great books for kids and I'm getting some ideas for stuff for school. Then I see a sticker book of U.S. Presidents, and one face jumps out at me. No, that can't be right. I click to the page, make the cover picture larger. Okay, we have George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, F.D.R., John Kennedy, an "I Like Ike" pin, an outline of Clinton whaling on the sax, and...wait for it...John F'n Kerry. Did I miss something?? Is this wishful thinking? What the heck?

P.S. Thank you to Emperor Darth Misha for linking to this post! Although I only read sporadically, I am a Loyal Citizen!

The Surreal Life

Incredibly, we found out this weekend that my niece (my husband's, actually) is expecting the birth of her first child in January. That means my sister-in-law will be a grandmother, and my husband and I will be great-uncle and great-aunt! :O Ack, I feel old.

Getting geared up to start school this week. I have a deep, dark confession to make. If there was a school out there (that we could afford) that gave the kind of quality education we want for our daughters, I don't know that I would homeschool. In some circles, this is something approaching blasphemy, but I don't think I am always the best teacher for my daughters. I often read, for example, about how each child has a certain learning style. No one seems to mention the parent's teaching style, and what happens if they don't mix! However, I do think homeschooling is the best option for us at this time, so I struggle on. At least it is getting easier with more experience.

I am sort of thankful that the summer is winding down. Not that it wasn't enjoyable for the most part, and not that I am looking forward to inches and inches of snow in the winter, but I feel I could use a little rest and hibernation just like the earth. I like fall anyway. The colors, the smells, pumpkins, craft fairs, a new season of clothes! A new season, with new plans and hopes, and nothing messed up yet.

Kid Swap

No, this is not the latest reality show; it's real life! Die Quilter and three of her brood came over today to swim, and after lunch out, it ended up that Lego-Boy came home with myself and the Scientist, while Wildchild went off with her friend the Princess. Lego-Boy and the Scientist have spent a good bit of the day in the pool, and I'm sure Wildchild and the Princess have been having a lovely girlie day! I'm thankful that my kids have kids their own age (or close) and of similar temperament to play with. Even if they went to a school, they might not have good friends. So I'm thankful for Lego-Boy, and the Princess and the other great kids that my kids like to play with.

In the Dark

Where were you in the great blackout of 2003? That is, if you lived in the northeastern United States during that time? I remember I was at a friend's house in the afternoon, and the lights started experiencing "brownout," growing dimmer intermittently. Before we left to go home, the real blackout had started. It took about twice as long to get home, since there were no traffic lights working anywhere. Although it was a hot day, our home stayed relatively cool inside for a few hours, and by the time we had to open the windows, it was night and the temperature outside had grown comparatively cooler. I spent the evening lying on the family room floor to get optimal air movement and listening to the battery powered radio.

It is true that the blackout illustrated how much we use electricity for things. However, while I do think one should prepare for disasters, natural or otherwise, I don't really want to eschew modern conveniences if I can avoid it! Maybe that's my "old Adam" trying to avoid discomfort and extra work! But even in Laura Ingalls Wilder's The Long Winter, the blizzard "whiteouts" of 1880-81 nearly caused a small town to starve to death by blocking the trains that delivered food and coal. Of course, seven months without regular supplies coming in, and no way to grow anything, go fishing, or even hunt effectively would be hard on any family!

But hey, as a dear pastor once said to me, "Eat, drink and be merry: you're Lutheran!" So light a candle, open a cold one of Blackout Stout, and enjoy God's gifts!


As a quick aside, I'd like to give thanks for another of God's gifts, books, and give a hat tip to The Laughing Frog for alerting me to Keven Stilley of Righteous Judgement, who not only tabulated lots of people's answers in the book meme that's been making the rounds (even Martin Luther joined in!), but alerts us to the guy who started the whole thing, so if you want revenge on the guy, now you know where to look! (JOKE!!! Barb the Evil Genius does not endorse, condone, or recommend anyone using violence except when coerced by her in her secret plan to take over the planet!)

You Say It's Your Birthday

Welcome to my first liveblog, from the home of the von Schreiber birthday boy! He had a lovely time eating his very first birthday cake!






































Then he opened his gifts, and then it was time for naps.

Star Light, Star Bright

Got to see some falling stars tonight, courtesy of the Perseids! Unfortunately, as the link states, the moon was a hinderance to optimal viewing, but we saw some on the way home from a fun night out, and we stopped at the local community center, right by the beach, and saw a couple there as well.

Not only was it a fun night out, but a kid-free night out, thanks to the Homestead Lutheran Academy. The girls spent the night there. We'll pick them up at church, then head to a first birthday party for the winsome lad recently featured at Die Steppdecken des Quilter. Another busy and enjoyable weekend. The best kind.

I should also thank the Pistol Packin' Presbytera and her pistol-packin' spouse, with whom we had the impromptu but fun get-together tonight. And now I need to get to sleep so we can make it to church in the morning!

We Put the Fun in Dysfunctional

Things are moving along better here at the abode of the Evil Genius. The weather is cooler, which is a relief. There's plenty of ice cream in the house, also important. I hadn't made any plans to fly anywhere soon, which is just as well.

Since I know many of you have people you're related to that you'd just as soon forget, I would like to share the Dysfunctional Family Letter Generator that my husband found while surfing. Hope you all find some humor in it even as you're thinking about who you could mail it to!

Tomorrow is Another Day...

and a better day. Even though I spent most of the day running errands, in a car with no air-conditioning! :) I did get to spend some time hangin' with another mom, which is very helpful to me, especially since our family missed church yesterday, with none of us feeling well. Yes, church is for our spiritual "refill," but when you're a stay-at-home mom in a neighborhood where the other moms all work, it's nice to get to see other people as well.

I'm too tired to post more, but I just wanted to check in. It's nice to have you all to vent to when things are really tough, but God willing, it seems we will get through the biggest problem that was concerning me. The other stuff I can face with time, prayer and a little bit of griping here if I need it! :)

I'm So Blue, I Don't Know What to Do

It was One of Those Days. We were all not feeling our best today, a combination of great stress, all the heat over the previous week, and not eating that well, an effect mostly of the heat! When I wasn't in a daze during the long, dark teatime of the soul, I was wondering what meaning life has, thinking I will be unhappy the rest of my life, you know. All that good angsty stuff one feels at three o'clock in the morning. Hope some of you had a better weekend!

Extreme Selfishness

I found this article and the comments following it via The Anchoress. It is terribly, horribly, soberingly sad. First of all, for the children in situations like this. And although many of the comments in reply were negative, there were enough that basically said, "We've always felt this way and were too scared to say it!" that it might be enough of a widespread problem to cause concern.

There are a lot of thoughts that come to mind quickly. One was a refrain repeated over and over in the comments: Why did this woman ever bear children? For better or worse, if you don't want children, you don't have to have them. Several commenters chose not to, and prided themselves on it over this woman who had them and neglects them. If they don't intend to even try to be half-way decent parents, one can see their point.

Several commenters also hoped that the children will treat their mother in like fashion when they reach maturity. That they will ignore her when they go out on their own, and stick her in a nursing home the minute her health becomes the slightest burden. This is all too likely to happen.

But some larger issues were not really brought up. What about these children's relationships with their spouse? With their own children? With friends and co-workers?

Attachment theory looks at how children relate to caregivers during childhood. Whether they are securely or insecurely attached to those who care for them when they are smallest and most vulnerable will affect how they view themselves and how they relate to others for their entire lifetime. It is likely that the author of this article was not close to her parents or whoever brought her up, and she is passing this on to her children. This mother feels bored or uncomfortable with every part of being a child: the enjoyment of repetition, the need for acknowledgement and praise, the simple stories and games. She probably did not have anyone to do these things with her. Certainly none of us are perfect parents, and children should not get everything they want, whenever they want it, in any case. I, for example, do not usually see movies with my children, because I don't really like movies much at all. Their father does this with them. I am better at reading the same story over and over. If I'm tired or ill, however, they might not get a story one night. But it's not a pattern. Neither of us will miss an important event in our child's life if we can avoid it. We remember our own childhood birthdays and school plays and wanting someone to be there. An insecurely-attached child, on the other hand, can sometimes patch over their hurt that no one is consistently there for them with thoughts that they don't need anybody, that they can stand on their own!

But again, there is more than the idea of mother/child or father/child interaction here. As one article puts it, "Unselfishness, giving, love, and compassion are high values, and there is nothing like being a mother to develop those virtues in a woman. Responding to a screaming baby at two in the morning requires unselfishness. Character-growth is almost inevitable." Does this mean that any person who does not have children is selfish and lacking character? Not necessarily. But how will the person not willing to put time into caring for a child react when a sick spouse needs something at two in the morning? Or an aging parent? This is what is scary for society at large. If we do not learn love and sacrifice and compassion as children by having it modeled for us and given freely to us, will we be able to give it as adults?

Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland

Yes, it's sweltering hot outside. Yes, we're all miserable and melting and praying the power grid doesn't go down so we can keep our fans and air conditioners running. But I was inspired by a local radio station, which is periodically playing winter songs, such as "Frosty the Snowman," during commercial breaks, to share this picture with you.

By the way, the station is WEOL, 930 AM on your radio dial. It comes out of Lorain/Elyria, and it plays Glenn Beck from 9 to 12 every weekday. Maybe some of you that can't pick up 610 to hear Herr Beck could get this station??

Lastly, although I don't think there are a lot of former wanna-be preppies out there, I had to share this folder I found with you! It's like, so totally cool, I said "Fer sure!" If you go to their web site and find the items in their "Prep Cool" collection, you can see the rest of this gnarly set, but their website design is poor (in my opinion) and does not allow you to link directly to a collection.

The Sad and the Stupid

You decide which adjective fits what.

First of all, call me naive, but I don't see how images of aborted babies can be labelled "controversial." If you're going to abort your child, at least have the guts to face what you've done to the child. But then having an abortion is cowardly anyway.

On a lighter note, this criminal is not the brightest bulb in the box.

Progress

I wanted to show you how I'm doing on the doll outfit I'm creating. So here's a picture of Josephine, a 16-inch doll, wearing the petticoat I made for her, and a muslin, or trial version, of the top and the sleeve patterns I was working on. The trial version helped me make the pattern look the way I want, and I've started the actual top. I'm not ready to show it though.

Wildchild and her friend the Princess, and the Princess' mother and I, went to see Barbie: Live in Fairytopia Friday night. It was a very fun, girlie time. Of course, we had to stop at Handel's on the way home, so it was just an overall lovely evening. So, is the Princess' mother, the Queen? Long live their Majesties!

Book Meme

Well, I managed to blog for over a year before my first tag, but I just got hit by Dan at Necessary Roughness! So here goes:

1. One book that changed your life:
Besides the Bible? I know people think there is questionable spirituality in some of the Franklin-Covey books, but I liked the The 10 Natural Laws of Time and Life Management by Hyrum W. Smith, back when it was still Franklin Quest. It talks about the importance of not just managing your time, but using it on things that are most important to you. And I love my Franklin Day Planner.

2. One book that you’ve read more than once:
I read all my books over and over, if I like them. I like reliving the experience of the book.

3. One book you’d want on a desert island:
Besides a desert island survival book? Probably a long, well-written biography or autobiography of a former royal or royal family.

4. One book that made you laugh:
The Joy of Work by Scott Adams. So sadly true that it's hilariously funny.

5. One book that made you cry:
Merlin by Stephen R. Lawhead. The scene where Merlin finds the dead bodies of his wife and unborn child after the Saxons have raided. This simple scene is more moving and intense than other scenes with more intense and massive carnage that he writes in other books. It's also a testament to the humanity of unborn life.

6. One book that you wish had been written:
I can't think of anything besides "just that one more story" by a favorite author that everybody wants. Another mystery by Agatha Christie, or another good Sherlock Holmes by Conan Doyle

7. One book that you wish had never been written:
I'll say Friedan's The Feminine Mystique. One of the books that started the whole modern liberal feminism crap.

8. The book you are currently reading:
I'm not reading anything right now. :O I usually page through favorite parts of books I've already read, or I sit down and devour a book at one sitting.

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read:
Dan recommended The Constitution in Exile by Andrew Napolitano to me a week or so ago and I agree it sounds like a good choice.

10. Now tag five people:
Marie, Susan, Lucy, Des Moines Girl and Kate.

Life Is Not Fair

That's the summary I came to in my mind after hearing a radio advertisement that totally set me off. The same idiot who ate 5,000 worth of calories every day for thirty days at a fast-food restaurant just to prove that - eating 5,000 calories a day will make you fat, duh! has a television show featuring publicity stunts to prove his other preconceived ideas. One show will feature a man who was cut from his job because the work went overseas, and his soundbyte featured in the advertisement made me yell at the radio - "The American dream was taken away from me." So, what is the American dream? That you'll get some basic job, work there for great wages and health benefits for the rest of your life, retire early at 62 and live happily ever after forever, Amen? Sorry, we're living in the wrong universe for that. Let me direct you back to the title of my post. Life? Totally not fair. You can give up on your dreams if things go wrong, which they will. Unless your dream is unrealistic, you can always keep working towards your dream. Maybe you'll achieve it. Maybe not. See that not fair thing above. It's the American dream, not the American guarantee. For that matter (for my non-U.S. readers :) ) it's not even just the American dream anymore. In any country where there is economic freedom, a person can work towards success.

Is it great that manufacturing jobs are going overseas? Not necessarily. I've read articles by lots of economists with good points but different opinions, and I don't know the big picture of world economy well enough to posit my own opinion. Whatever the reason, however, people lose jobs. It's a sad fact of life, but no one owes us employment, or a "living wage," or anything else. I'll never forget a woman complaining on a radio call-in show a month or so back that she makes so much better money driving a truck in Florida than in Ohio, and why can't Ohio do something about it, as she lives in Ohio three or four months out of the year. To the reasonable query of why she doesn't just live in Florida full time: "It's too hot down there in the summer." The radio host let this pass. I wouldn't have. Why should the state or anyone else improve your life for you? If you can't take the heat, stay out of the whinefest!

Do I rant when things are difficult, or maybe even ... unfair? Heck yeah. But I know it's up to my husband and I to work through hard times, even if we didn't cause them. Sometimes I falter and break down and want to give up, but for things to get better, eventually I have to pull myself back. Even if people help me to get up, I still have to get back up to change things. People, not a government plan, mind you. We can and should help each other, but we can't do it for each other.

I want to start carrying around a big bag full of pacifiers. Everytime somebody starts whining about how the government should do this or that, I'll just hand them a pacifier. Think it'll work? Nah, you're right. It'd take a miracle. ;)

Stamping!

Okay, we made four stamping projects on Sunday. It was fun, although I didn't do so great at it. My hands shake a lot and some of my stamps were kinda blurry. Oh well, I had a really nice day! Thank you to our stamp camp hostess who put everything together and helped us all through it! So, here are two of my projects.



The one with the red truck is going to my sister-in-law who is currently in Washington State. She's there for six to eight weeks for work, and she gets lonely. :( She used to drive a red pickup truck, and since she is an I Love Lucy fan, I made the driver's hair bright red! :)

Getting back to my "day out", I agree with Dr. Brenda Hunter in Home by Choice that women are not always that great at making time to hang out with other women. Of course, it's not as easy as it used to be. The women in my neighborhood work, so they're not around a lot. They're either working, or taking their kids to all the activities they put them in, or running errands on the weekends. But I do think social interaction helps keep my mood up and refreshes me for the things I have to do at home, so I like to do it when I get a chance. I'm an introvert, so I don't need interaction as much as an extroverted person would, but even introverted people need to spend time with other people!

Summer Days, Driftin' Away

As has already been posted at her site, I had the children of Homestead Lutheran Academy at my house on Thursday. I managed to get one great shot of the Artist and the Engineer in action. Then the ball got kicked over the fence into the neighbor's yard. :)









I've got lots of stuff on tap, but nothing to show as of right now. I don't think bits of fabric are as exciting to look at as a sweater in progress. "Okay, here's some pieces of fabric I cut out!!!" Hopefully I will have something interesting soon.

I'm going to my first Stamp Camp tomorrow. It involves - stamping! with ink and rubber stamps. We'll see how I do. It will be some time with adults and no kids, anyway! Sometimes I don't know how pioneer women managed living by themselves in the middle of nowhere. I suppose not all of them did so well. Re-read (or read) These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

What Price Living?

Sometimes it seems as though I see things in a pattern. Right now, so much that I see is telling me of the breakdown of respect and value for life. Our government wants to use our money to destroy human life, on the chance of possibly helping or saving human life sometime in the future. If this is acceptable, how long will it be before the premise of the sci-fi movie my husband was watching last night comes true - clones created to serve as "parts factories" for the "original" humans? The wealthy and unscrupulous making more money by creating and selling life, the unwitting clones living a life of lies and false memories, while the wealthy benefactors are assured that their "parts suppliers" are "not human."

We have already decided that embryos are not human, which has lead us onward to abort unborn babies and abandon newborns in dumpsters. Well, we've moved up to two-year-olds being left in dumpsters too. Human life seen as so much trash.

But even though the most vulnerable, children, see the repercussions first when we begin to see life as expendable, apparently to some on the left, even adults can be seen as "not human" if we have the wrong views.

I think "never again" needs to be replaced with "over and over again." Without the certainty that each of us has been fearfully and wonderfully brought into being, with an eternal future, without the knowledge that God cares for and has plans for all of us, what will humans not do to prolong and enrich their own desperate, grasping lives? If we do not want to become the same as any other animal fighting for supremacy and survival, we need to care for all lives.

Ooops

I forgot that I need to post a link to the latest Lutheran Carnival, hosted by Charles Lehmann of Drowning Myself Whenever I Can. So go check it out! There's lots to read.

Wilting

The heat is only part of why I'm feeling down. I have some things to work out that seem impossible to solve. I also have things to do that I don't feel up to doing.

My bright spot: there was a little celebration of my birthday at the party on Saturday hosted by Homestead Lutheran Academy and the Quipper. I got a lovely homemade card and there was a yummy cake. It especially meant a lot to me because I am currently not talking to the sister who shares my birthday. After getting the encouragement and support I needed I was finally able to break away from the family members who only hurt me. Even when they try to get in touch with me, it's never "We miss you." It's always "You need us." Well, I am slowly growing happier and having more self-confidence without them. But on occasions like my birthday it just feels a bit strange still. So I appreciated the gestures people made for me.

What's Life if You Never Get to the Point?

Okay, I know several of my readers do not like Kevin Keane, but c'mon, he spent a good bit of last night's show talking about Cedar Point! He took his family there on Tuesday, and hopes some of our struggling Tribe players were also there getting some much needed R&R.

I love Cedar Point. It's in my blood. I hope there are roller coasters in heaven. I know Kennywood has been advertising heavily here in the Cleveland area, and it looks like a nice little park, but it can't touch Cedar Point. Cedar Point was recently named "America's Favorite Amusement Park" by the readers of Theme Parks Magazine for the second year in a row, along with a bunch of other awards. Cedar Point had three roller coasters in the list of top four steel roller coasters! Cedar Point's Millennium Force and Top Thrill Dragster are experiences not to be missed, and even in her 17th year, Magnum XL-200 still consistently ranks in the top 5 of steel roller coasters.

Cedar Point also was named by the international readers of Amusement Today in 2005 as the "Best Amusement Park in the World" for the eighth consecutive year!

Of course, Cedar Point is well known for her roller coasters. In this photo, you can see a few: Wildcat, Millennium Force, Mantis, Iron Dragon and Corkscrew. There are sixteen coasters total.

Two are kiddie coasters.


And speaking of kids, Cedar Point has two Kiddielands, Kiddie Kingdom and Camp Snoopy, plus a play area behind the Snoopy Boutique where kids can play more quietly for a break, ride a miniature train, maybe even hear a story.




There's a nice assortment of thrill rides, both old-fashioned like the Matterhorn, and brand-new, like maXair and Skyhawk.

If you get warm, there's two water rides.

For those who want a calmer visit, Cedar Point still has lots of traditional rides, and shows featuring not only singers and dancers, but some featuring divers or ice skaters! You can find lots of shopping, include a casual stroll along the Frontier Trail. There's tons of food options, and Cedar Point always ranks high in the entertainment and food categories, as well as park cleanliness and friendliness of staff.

So have fun! Ride early, ride often! You and your kids will sleep well that night!

More LEGO

Since we're on the subject of LEGO(R), I thought I'd share one of my own little creations, a one-of-a-kind mini-fig. Does anyone remember the series of tie-in commercials with the first Star Wars "prequel" that featured Col. Sanders, the Taco Bell chihuahua and the Pizza Hut girl flying off in Col. Sanders' white car to save the universe? Well, my husband once created these characters as mini-figs for his Brikwars army for a campaign. We wiped a mini-fig clean with rubbing alcohol, and I painted it to resemble the Col. What do you think?

He had the abilities of a Jedi according to the Brikwars rules. Although unfortunately none of the Trio survived the battle, it was really fun. Here's a synopsis from the official Brikwars page featuring battles by the Buckeye LEGO(R) Owner's Club: The interstellar war of two starfaring civilizations is interrupted by the interference of hallucinating civil-war reenactors and an SCA rennaissance fair gone wrong. All vie to discover and make off with a mysterious crystal of unimaginable power, which is defended by the super-powered Colonel Sanders, Taco Bell Chihuahua, and Pizza Hut Girl.

Good times, good times.

By the way, apparently we weren't the only ones to have this sort of idea.

I'd Like to Be...Under the Sea

Okay, I have to tell Scottius Maximus why the song Octopus's Garden reminds me of Legoland. It's a silly reason, really, but a good memory. Dh's college roommate and our good friend got married in 2001 in California. Dh was a groomsman, the Scientist was the flowergirl. So of course we had to see the sights while we were out there, and one of the places we visited was Legoland. One of the rides was a lovely little boat ride past all kinds of Lego creations, and the last thing we passed was this band, playing, you guessed it: Octopus's Garden.

So now I can't hear the song without picturing this scene. But it was great fun. I'll leave you with more pictures from that ride. I hope this poor guy doesn't fall in!

The Taj Mahal - made of Lego brand building blocks.

NYC - made of Lego brand building blocks. It took us a while after leaving Legoland to adjust to everything not being made of Lego brand building blocks.

Only a Man in a Funny Red Sheet

On a bulletin board I read, several members were discussing the new Superman movie, and it also became apparent to me that they idolized Christopher Reeve, and I mean that almost literally. For example, check out this cartoon published upon his death. Yes, I have seen editorial cartoons before that showed the deceased going to a "heaven," and sometimes showing a role that person played in a movie. But in this case, thoughts that people viewed Reeve as having some sorts of "powers" are reinforced by this editorial cartoon upon the death of his wife, Dana. One of the bulletin board readers has saved it on her website and commented on how touching it was. To me, it is a case of man once again looking to the created instead of the Creator. When I die, I know the only thing I can trust to save me is Jesus' death and resurrection, His redemption for me. No matter what a person achieves in this lifetime, we are all still only people. Only Jesus could tell a paralyzed man to get up and walk, and only Jesus can offer us life and salvation. And so unlike the man in this cartoon, I know where hope can be found, and it is not in a movie, or in an actor or any other human. Thanks be to God that He loves us, and is able to do everything for us.

Totally 80's

Yeah! The "prairie look" is back! See here, here and here. Oh, how I loved my Gunne Sax clothes when I was in eighth grade! If I had any pictures I could put on line, I'd even be bold enough to share some with you! My daughters are using one of my old "prairie skirts" for dress-up; maybe I'll get a picture of one of them in it.

Did anyone else (of the right age ;)) love the prairie look? The ruffles, the puffed sleeves, the pretty calico prints, the quilted jackets? I've been buying old Gunne Sax patterns in kids' sizes when I can, so I can reproduce that look for my daughters. Well, I guess it will just have to be for Wildchild, who would live in skirts. The Scientist wears skirts reluctantly for special occasions and likes them very streamlined. One out of two isn't bad!

Cranky

When the Indians game is going as badly as it is tonight, it's not fun to listen to, but even when it's going well, the commercials are excruciating. First Energy: "We're improving service, because we love our customers, not because we took down half of the eastern seaboard's electricity a couple years ago, no, no!" Or Sherwin-Williams: Painting is a source of contention between husbands and wives and you the wife will have to be a witchy little shrew to get your husband to do it for you. That commercial makes me want to buy Glidden. And I know commercials cost money to make, but why do we have to hear some of the same stupid commercials for the second baseball season in a row, several times a game! We have TIVO for televisions; can we get something to edit out commercials on radio and pipe in the music of your choice instead?

Happy Fourth!

I was too busy having fun today to take pictures for blog posterity, so I got someone else to take them for me! Most of the pictures I have from the day were taken by the talented Die-Hard Equestrian.

Here I am in the pool with most of the kids. We felt more comfortable having an adult in the pool with that many little kids, and I like being in the pool too. In the picture are also two of the offspring of Schreiben von Schreiber, the son of Theological Universe and Krazyinbrooklyn, the Engineer and the Artist whose parents are Homestead Lutheran Academy and The Quipper, and my own Wildchild and Scientist.

Here is the other son of the aforementioned Theological Universe and Krazyinbrooklyn, who is too young for the bigger pool as of yet.

And we can't leave out the adorably cute youngest Schreiben von Schreiber, who was too young for any real pool stuff, and mostly wanted a nap.

Let's hear a round of applause for our intrepid photographer!

We also were blessed today to host both of our pastors, the spouse of Pistol Packin' Presbytera, and the father of your blog hostess at Homestead Lutheran Academy. Last but not least, we also hosted the brother of Schreiben von Schreiber, and this guy, who is not live-blogging the party despite appearances! :)

It was nice celebrating our nation's birthday with such a great group of people. I pray that God will bless and protect our nation and those who defend it.

Our Secret Is Out!

Heard on a Pittsburgh tourism commerical here in Cleveland: "Even if you don't like our football team, and we know you don't..."

Dollies

Just thought I'd share a picture of my big activity for the day. The Scientist is at a sleepover birthday party tonight and her friend has two American Girl dolls, just as the Scientist does. So I made her friend two identical outfits for her dolls. One of the Scientist's dolls is the model in this picture; I wanted to have a picture of the outfit to keep for myself.



One of the nice things about my husband working in Chicago for six months a while back was getting to visit him and do things in the area. And one of the things my daughters loved to do was go to American Girl Place. The Scientist had a Girl of Today at the time and has since received Samantha also; Wildchild loves her Bitty Baby and all her Bitty Friends. Since my husband was in Chicago for six months, we were able to visit the American Girl Place several times and do a different thing each time, thus breaking up the time involved (and the cost!) Here are the three of us at lunch in the American Girl Cafe. You can see that the dolls are at the table with us, and each doll gets her own little place setting. We had a lot of fun experiences there, and it was nice to see all the little girls walking around doll in tow. My husband was fortunately not debilitatingly overwhelmed by all the estrogen. :)



Of course, I must add that this was before all the problems with AG supporting an inappropriate outside group were really aired. I'm not sure what the current attitude is toward AG, although I know their involvement with said group has ended. Fortunately, our beloved dollies do not need to lack for clothes (see above) and there are lots of "cottage industries" supplying other things for them too. Why do companies have to involve toys with political agendas?

What Were They Thinking?

I cannot imagine how the situation with this girl got to the point it did. You know what? I hate to judge people, because there's been too many times where people have judged me without knowing all the circumstances, or when it was really none of their business anyway. But I imagine this kind of story causes a lot of parents to think about what their own children might do. And you better not just say "Not my kid" without having an idea why it would not be "your kid."

First of all, I came to the conclusion that both of the girl's parents probably work full-time. What else would a 14-year-old need her own cell phone for? And then how could she get her own prepaid cell phone without her parents knowing? And then, if you have already found your daughter communicating with a strange guy she met online, why wasn't a parent there to pick her up after school? Was someone supposed to pick her up? After already finding her communicating with this guy, someone should have been keeping an eye on her.

I'd also bet she doesn't have a close relationship with her father. This girl sounds like a textbook case of needing male approval. You really, truly make a difference, all you fathers out there. You really, truly do play a big part in your daughter's future relationships with males. I know this for a fact.

Lastly, need for male approval aside, what could a girl like this be thinking? Did she not know this was a stupid idea, or did desperation to fill her needs outweigh everything else? The 19-year-old male, to me it just seems like a simple case of him using someone to get what he wanted. His parents have obviously dropped the ball too. He had to know he was breaking the law, and it's just not healthy to use people. Basically, he's a creep. I do hope the law comes down hard on him, and I hope federal charges are brought as well.

O - H - I - O!

Okay, so living in Columbus for several years, I did grow heartily sick of Ohio State Football. I mean, the quarterback of the football team couldn't get a hangnail without it being on the front page of the paper and the feature story on the six o'clock news. But there is such a thing as state pride, and especially when we play Michigan, I root for the Bucks all the way!

While searching for something else, I found the humorous House Concurrent Resolution No. 16 to make "Hang On Sloopy" the official rock song of Ohio (you have to scroll down.) I hope you get a chuckle out of it like I did.

And by the way, "Hang On Sloopy" is also the theme song of the Ohio State football team, maybe the entire The Ohio State University(TM). Thus my train of thought above.