A New Eagle Graduates

DJ is one of my favorite high school aged friends. We are friends on Facebook and IRL (In real Life - for you non-texter/blogger people). I have known him since he was a baby. I am really enjoying watching him grow to manhood.

This past Saturday DJ had his Eagle Scout Ceremony. His two younger brothers served as his scout color guard escort. The Boy Scouts have really done a good job of sticking with their original ideals. They still train boys to be men. The Eagle Ceremony had a review of the scout's laws and what they mean.

You got to love this guy's grin. He is really friendly and diligent. The more you know him the more you appreciate him. He is a hard worker. He has been dealt a lot of life lessons in his teens that most young men never think about. He has had to face his own mortality through several serious health issues. He has had to wrestle with disappointment and frustration at some of the limitations they put on his life. He struggles, and then the grace of God shines through, and once again that grin beams across his face.

Behind every Eagle Scout there are supportive parents. It is not something you do by yourself. It takes a team to launch an Eagle. DJ's parents have done a great job in raising him. They have sought out opportunities for him and they research everything. They are very diligent parents!

DJ finished up the ceremony by giving a nice speech expressing his appreciation for his parents and the others who had helped and encouraged him along the way. I appreciate when people realize that they are where they are because of God, family, and friends, and not just because they are so wonderful. Humility is a wonderful characteristic.

That evening DJ had his high school graduation. It was a totally neat home school graduation.

Each parent presented their graduate with a diploma, as well as having a letter read to their graduate expressing their thoughts at this time. They were very moving.

The ceremony finished with each of the parents quietly praying for and with their child.

Each of their church families was represented in the ceremony. My DH closed in prayer.

If you think of it, pray for DJ and his family. They are making a lot of decisions re his future schooling and career plans in the next couple weeks. Pray that God will give them wisdom and peace. They would appreciate it.

~Mom

Things That Make a Mom's Heart Glad

All of our children have started life with two basic fears: the fear of water, and of cats and dogs. Nothing else. It has taken time, patience, and regular exposure to help them overcome their anxieties.
I think Elizabeth has done better than the rest in overcoming, but she is still unsure in the water.
She hates to get water in her ears.

This week the neighbors kindly invited us over for an afternoon swim. We decided that Elizabeth needed to learn to let go of the side and still be safe. The time was right to move up to 'waterwings'
.

I wasn't swimming so I asked Mr. Boots to help her. He did it patiently and with a cheerful attitude! It was so sweet to see my big 17 year old carefully tending his little sister. At first she held on tight. Then gradually she started to try them out.

The breakthrough came when Mr. Boots thought to put on a second pair. Elizabeth is a very tall girl for being five, and one pair is just not enough to hold her up. She can actually get two wings on above her elbows. A bit more patience and she was independent! Yeah!!

She took off and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the swim. She was the last Mango out of the pool. The boys were out pretty quick as they got cold. She was cold also, but she was having such a great time trying out her new skill that she didn't want to stop.

Thanks for being such a great big brother Mr. Boots. You'll be a great dad someday.

~Mom

"Here We go 'Round the Mulberry Bush"

I don't know why the nursery rhyme speaks of mulberry bushes, because these things are real trees! We have a nice mulberry tree in our back yard that came up all by itself. We have kept the top pruned out of it so that we can reach the berries. It is not unusual for them to grow to be forty feet tall. As it is, we have to use a ladder to reach many of the berries.

There are several varieties of mulberries. We have the black ones. The berries start off white and then go to red, then finally to deep purple or black.

They are really yummy and sweet. You know they are ready to eat when thy practically fall off into your hand. If you have to tug on them to pick them, they will be slightly sour. The berries are very fragile and crush easily in your hand. The ripe ones do fall off on to the ground. Dallas the Dog has been doing a good job keeping the patio stones cleaned off. He loves mulberries too.

The stems come off with the berries and you eat them as well. The berries don't keep long, although they can be frozen. We have made mulberry pies in the past as well as mulberry muffins. They are good in smoothies. They are nutritious and rich in anti-oxidants. One of our children's favorite things to do in June is to pick and eat the mulberries off the tree. They are very prolific and will keep ripening over the next 3-4 weeks. Yummy!

Birds love mulberries. There is usually plenty to share though. Some people say that if you have other fruit trees in your yard, plant mulberries, as the birds will go there first and leave the other things alone.

~Mom

"It is a marvel what children, dogs, plants, and baby birds can pack into their insides without coming to any apparent harm."

H.L.V. Fletcher

Purest Pleasure (1949)

Sugar is not so Sweet!

This blog post is dedicated to Mrs. Potatohead. Sugar. It used to be a treat. Something to be enjoyed on a birthday or special occasion. Certainly not something that most people had on a daily basis. Even honey and maple sugar were utilized sparingly. Now it is part of every meal, and almost every beverage. The average American consumes over 100 pounds of the white stuff a year. It is addictive. It feeds the same craving as alcohol. When an alcoholic gives up booze he almost always turns to sugar, and in large amounts. He finds it harder to give up sugar than booze. It is everywhere. It is in almost everything!
Is this a problem?
I am a chiropractic physician and I can tell you when every major holiday is. I have a sudden upsurge in patient visits the weeks after the holiday. The adults come in complaining of musculoskeletal pain and the children have colds and flu's. I ask them what they have been eating and the story is always the same. There has been an overindulgence of sweets. I ask them if it is worth it. They ponder the question and then say "no!". Alas, the next time temptation on a plate is put in front of them, they forget and so the cycle continues. Maybe I shouldn't tell people how sugar works. It does keep me in business. I understand human nature well enough, that I know there is no danger of a sudden universal attack of self-control. My business will always have a steady stream of overindulgent patients.

What does sugar do? Why does it cause these problems? Let me give you a few basics...
1. Sugar increases inflammation. Anything that ends in "-itis", sugar makes it worse. Whether it is arthritis, dermatitis, sinusitis, etc. sugar makes it worse. All those chronic complaints suddenly become a major pain with the addition of sugar.
2. Sugar suppresses the immune system. It makes you more vulnerable to any passing cold or flu.
3. Sugar makes you more vulnerable to stress. Sugar requires drawing the B vitamins out of your system in order for your body to metabolize them. It upsets your blood sugar levels which puts extra stress on your adrenals. The adrenals have to work extra hard then on long term blood sugar stability. They have less ability to handle their other function of adapting to life stresses.
4. Sugar can cause depression. The constant ups and downs of the blood sugar make your body more prone to depression.
5. Sugar feeds cancer cells. If you have cancer in your body, the tumor has the fastest uptake of sugar of any tissue in the body. Your doctor knows this. That is why they attach a radioactive isotope to a sugar molecule, and inject it in your body to check for metastasis (cancer spreading). There has been some excellent research that indicates that a low carb diet ( less than 50 gm of carbohydrates) along with other therapies really improves the outcome of many cancers.
These are things to seriously think about.
I'm a mom with six children. How do we do it? First, I tell my children that it is not sinful to eat sugar. It is not wisdom, though. Second, My children have learned that a bite or two of sugar satisfies your curiosity of the taste. After that, you are just eating to eat. They generally will take a piece and split it up and they don't feel bad about leaving some on their plate. (We have a different rule for veggies.) We don't keep sugar in the house. If we bake we generally use honey or maple syrup as a sweetener. We try and keep the baking for special occasions and company. We got the sugar out of the house about 8 or 9 years ago. Prior to that we got sick just like every other family. We got fevers, colds and flu's a couple times a year. Since we gave up the sugar, we have only had children sick with fevers 3 times. Now when the children start to get a cold or not feel well, I ask them, "What did you eat?" Then it is confession time. I don't yell or punish, I just connect the behavior with the consequences. They have gotten smarter over the years and they very rarely indulge now. I do have one or two that threaten to go out and eat a bunch of sugar, just so they can get sick and get some time off of school. We didn't have any sick days the last school year for our children. I will admit that the stomach flu's have not been totally banished from our house - they seem to have different rules that they go by.
I hope that you have found this at least thought provoking. I am planning to write some more general nutrition posts in the coming months. What are your questions?
~Mom

The Word - Mythos and Logos in education

My thoughts on 'Norms And Nobility, A Treatise on Education' by David V. Hicks. Ch. 2

Reading 'Norms and Nobility' is like eating crab legs. It's a lot of work to get to the meat, but when you finally get it in your mouth, it is sweet and salty and you are glad you made the effort. Honestly, It takes me a half hour to try and digest 2-3 pages, and then I have to go back and re-read the things I underlined and make sure I understand it. Much of what he writes I have understood intuitively, but I have to re- frame some as I don't believe he is coming from an entirely Christian perspective. If I can sort it out enough to write about it, then I will really understand it.

Chapter 2 is called 'The Word is Truth'. The basic idea of this chapter is that the mythos is necessary in order to give order to society and to give meaning to our words (logos).

Sect. 1. Socrates taught that objects were neither good nor evil, it was how they were used that gave them that appearance. He also taught that "it is worse to wrong others than to wrong yourself". This was a brand new thought to his culture. It was the collision of several ideas. The stories of ancient times or mythos were man's attempt to explain himself and the world around him, as well "as his belief that an explanation was possible". Every culture presupposed that reason existed before the world began (I would argue that this is strong evidence for there being a God). These myths were a way of explaining the puzzling world around them. It helped "man in developing rules for ordering his thoughts and behavior in accordance with the... reasonableness of these realities." Words took on the meanings and the complexities of these myths. The word became a way of communicating man's imaginations. Mythos was used to help man find his way through the "uncharted wilderness" Two examples Hicks uses is John Bunyan moving Pilgrim through his wilderness, finding his way, and Moses coming down with his tablets and leading the children of Israel 40 years through their wilderness.

I struggle with Hicks putting Biblical teaching in the exact same sphere as Greek and pagan mythology. The points he makes are still valid, as far as the development of words and their meanings and the importance of students learning these mythos (Biblical ).

Hicks says, " A good myth is like a good map, helping the wanderer to survive or even flourish, in the wilderness. Classical education ...carefully preserves the best myths within its tradition and insists that each new generation of students learns these myths." Once learned, Hicks explains that the myths help the student to realize that they are not alone. The things they are feeling have a context and have been seen before. He uses the examples of the Song of Solomon showing a way to see our own passions refined and clarified. Job shows us a better perspective on our sufferings and how to deal with them. Mythos (Biblical teaching) acts as the "skeleton of our civilization. Remove it and watch all the flesh of political stability, scientific invention, and social sophistication collapse". Biblical teachings (Mythos) "inspire men to perform great and selfless deeds by assuring and warning them that their actions are not individual, but symbolic." As the student learns these stories he is able to participate in his own imagination and is transformed in his behavior and I think in his heart. He gets a vision of himself and how he fits into society and how his behavior may impact it. (Think Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah vs. Daniel in Babylon).

Sect. II deals with how logos and mythos intertwine. I will try to simplify his thoughts without losing them. "Language is value-ridden." I like his example of 'cholesterol'. Cholesterol is a fatty alcohol and is composed chemically of C25H45OH. The scientific definition will do nothing but make you yawn. However, when you say that word today, people become uncomfortable, fearful and defensive. The mythos in the press has attached an emotional connotation to a scientific term. Language changes and words grow new meanings (ex. gay). Yet, Logos uses mythos to define itself. How do you teach a child what words mean? A milk carton is easy, you show them the item. But how do you teach them what 'valor' or 'sin' is? You need a story. A friend of mine was talking to her three year old about sin, and the definition Judah thought up was 'if you shoot an army entirely composed of good guys, that is sin'. (Yes, his daddy is in the army.)

If we eliminate mythos we lose the ability to communicate in anything other than concrete language without feeling or color. Today schools teach only in scientific terms. Words like love and valor slip away as our understanding of them is lost as a society. People have no common culture as a basis for their behavior and communication. We start to teach things only in regards to their function rather than their inherent value. We have no shades of meaning, no way to communicate emotions and values. God spoke the word and out of nothing the world was formed. John 1 talks of Christ as being the Word. He was the creator and yet he became flesh and dwelt among us. Hicks says, "Christian faith shares this mystery with language: it is impossible to ascribe a beginning to the word that is not at once denotative and connotative, material and immaterial, temporal and eternal, finite and infinite." I believe that God created language among Adam's abilities. He walked and talked with Adam in the garden teaching him the mythos that was His story. God taught Adam about his soul and his purpose on this earth as well as about Himself (God). Modern man is trying to rely solely upon himself rather than acknowledge a creator. He denies man's soulfulness and teaches scientific rationalism. He tries to eliminate the mythos and the logos for he denies the eternal and sees himself as deity.

Bottom line: As parents we must teach our children the Word of God and give them familiarity with powerful stories that exemplify godly character and right living. They can be fiction or biographical, or even some mythological. We need children that can express their thoughts and feelings in a godly way and make right choices no matter what the cost. Memorizing a list of words and their definitions on a page does not exemplify word meanings. We need to teach the words in their richer context.

~Mom

Piano Recital

Note to future piano teachers: Do not decide to have a recital 5 weeks before the recital and then go out of town the second and third weeks before the performance. If you must do this, select music the children already know well, not pieces they are just starting to learn.

Thomas and JoAn did pretty well with their duet. I really like to see them working together. JoAn and Thomas have been taking piano lessons for two years. JoAn also plays violin which has helped with learning a different instrument.

Thomas was not too excited about this recital. His teacher told him afterward, that usually she likes to hear a student play through a piece all the way before they perform it at a recital. Fortunately, Thomas has a prodigious memory and so he could get it down quickly. I have to admit that the night before, we still weren't convinced that he would be ready to play this. He did well in the end.

~Mom

200th Blog Post

This is the 200th blog post we've done. WOW! I look back over the last 10 months or so that we have been doing this and it has definitely evolved. We have people reading it now that I have never met. That is kind of cool. I appreciate you all. This blog started as a way to let out of town family know what the children currently look like and what they are doing. It has become more as other people asked questions or wanted to know things.
I am curious what topics you find interesting on our blog. I would like to write more about education, I have learned a bunch of things about nutrition I would like to write about. I am continuing to read 'Norms and Nobility' This blog is about the things I and the children care about and think about during the day.

What would you like to read more about:
Nutrition
Family News
Gardening
Children's Books (Authors and Reviews)
Adult Books
Homeschooling
Educational Philosophy
Pictorial How Tos
Legos
Inspiring People
Other...
Leave us a comment and we will see where this blog grows.
Thanks again for reading and leaving a comment.
~Mom
(The above turtle was rescued from the road while we were on our Wisconsin vacation.)

A Cultural Paradigm Shift and How It Effects Children's Literature

Don't let the fancy title stop you from reading this article, especially if you have children who like to read.

We have a large collection of children's books in our home, about 4,000. I try and collect books written before 1960. Why? Let me tell you...

People who were born prior to 1945 ( the WWII generation and before) were taught, by their parents and society, that the most important thing about a person was what he did. To do right in the face of danger showed that you were a brave and good person, the kind of person we looked up to and respected. These ideals were written about and demonstrated in children's literature. We were taught that hard work paid off and that a good man honored and cared for the women in his life. Horatio Alger books all talk about the unfortunate young man who, through hard work and diligence, is able to become successful. My favorite author growing up was Stephen W. Meader. All his books show young men doing right for their country and family, even when enemies tried to dissuade them. Consider Jules Verne and his book, 'Micheal Strogoff' as another example of the person that does right even when it is very hard. There are many others. In fact, most books held to these values.

The 1950's happened, and rock n' roll, peaceniks, drugs and the whole counter cultural movement suddenly hit the scene and took over. It totally changed how society thought and what it valued. There are some clear examples from the political front. Ronald Reagan had a biographer who was given total access to him. He had the run of the White House and could talk to him almost any time and observe. When his book was published and the author was being interviewed, he was asked how well he had gotten to know Ronald Reagan. To the surprise of all present, he told them he didn't feel like he got to know him very well. When quizzed as to why he believed that, he replied, "He never told me how he felt about things." George Bush published his 'Memoir and Letters' after he left the White House. The press came to him and asked him why he hadn't expressed his feelings on these different things before. They said they might have been more sympathetic if they had known. George Bush looked at them and told them that 'it didn't matter what I felt, it was what I did that was important.' He was our last president of that World War II generation. I miss those manly MEN. Our next president was the infamous Bill Clinton. We all remember his frequent statements expressing his feelings. He would say, "It's not important what I do, but how I feel about it that matters." That is the huge cultural paradigm shift that effects almost every area of our life, even children's books.

Today, the authors of children's books focus on the character's feelings rather than their doing the right thing. Bad behavior is excused if the person intends it for some good purpose. Most characters are egocentric and care too much for their physical appearance, rather than on the needs of those around them. These are the values that are communicated to children as they read these books. 'I am the most important thing in the universe and there are no absolutes.' This is possible, because we no longer have any knowledge of biblical values, history, and the hero tales. Today's authors have not read the classics and this is reflected in their writings. The books are shallow and poorly written. The vocabulary is simplistic and the plot is obvious. At best they are cotton candy for the mind; Slightly entertaining, but poisonous to the health in any large quantity. I hate to say this, but even most Christian authors today are just as contaminated in their mindset as their secular counterparts, others are just pure pap. Parents, read any 'Christian' book before you put it in the hand of your children! I am afraid that many of the ones I have read have ended up in the trash, before the children get their hands on them. (Yep, I am a book 'banner'; you should be too!)

[One christian author that writes well and tells a great story is Douglas Bond. (No relation to James :-) ). He has written the Mr. Pipes stories about the Hymns and the Crown and Covenant Series. We have really enjoyed reading them aloud as a family, as well as individually.]

On a related but totally different topic.... Beware, these ideas have infiltrated the church and you will hear them from christian people. I even had one guy tell me, that he was trying to help his girlfriend escape a bad family situation when he got her pregnant! Somehow, the fact that he was trying to help her, made it OK. It is ALWAYS right to do right and wrong to do wrong, no matter what you are trying to accomplish. They are the 10 commandments, not the 10 suggestions!

What we and our children read DOES impact our thoughts, so make sure and put in truth!

I will now crawl off one of my favorite hobby horses and close this post.
~Mom

Memorial Weekend Trip with the Mangos

This post is dedicated to my MIL, Joan.
We went out of town for Memorial Day. Travelled over 600 miles to NW Wisconsin. We left Friday morning at 6:30 AM after a late night of packing and getting ready. We had a good trip.

Our venture took us through downtown Chicago as we followed I-90. We got in at supper time.

After breakfast Saturday morning we went to a farmer's market and then to a park to climb on the rocks. Some of the children enjoyed watching. (Sofie)

The men found a 'soft' rock and stretched out for their early afternoon naps.

Mr. Boots, here wearing tennis shoes, enjoyed climbing crevasses. Made mom a little nervous.

Later in the afternoon, Lily happily shared her scooters and skates with her cousins.

The city park was only 3 blocks away. The children spent a lot of time there, playing together.

Mr. Boots and Dad spent a lot of time just sitting at the park waiting for a tennis court to open.

Everybody took turns holding Josef. He is a delightful little guy and he had smiles for everyone.

The children filled the hot afternoons (the temp was in the upper 80's, low 90's) with quiet games of Othello...

and checkers.
(Elizabeth won this game, with a little help from T-Bob)

Elizabeth and Charlotte had a grand time playing in the sprinkler. I think almost everyone took a turn at getting wet, just to cool off.

Sunday we went to church together.

The afternoon was spent resting, reading, biking, baking rhubarb pies, and a little water play.

The evening was a treat. The adults went out to dinner to the Co-op restaurant and had a delicious quiet meal while ALL the children (including Josef) stayed home. It was lovely. We took a brief spin down by the Mississippi river after dinner.

At home, the children made themselves pancakes for supper, played at the park and then watched an old silent movie .

Monday morning, being Memorial Day, saw us getting up and going to the parade. Guy and I went with the children. The parade started at 9 AM. That was early compared to our parade back home.

One unique thing they had in their parade, was a large group of Laos veterans. I hadn't heard their story before. I will tell it in another post. They wore beautiful traditional outfits.

When we returned home the children went back to playing Lego's, Fischer Price play sets, and reading.

Monday evening, we got together with some friends from church and had a big kickball game.

This is a family tradition that was started by my FIL Bill. All family gatherings must include a kickball game.

Tuesday morning we left LaCrosse and headed to Naperville where another of my DH sister's lives. We got there about 12:30. We had a nice visit, and they fixed us a tasty cookout. Debbie makes wonderful potato salad. Dan grilled the burgers and brats for us. It was a nice chance for the cousins to get together. The children went to a park to play, despite the heat.

Thomas had a good time at the park.

The four girl cousins had a chance to visit, and get their picture taken.

We left Chicago at 5:30 and arrived home at 12:30 AM.

It was a nice trip. It was good to visit with family and enjoy a change of pace.

Now we just need to get rested!

~Mom

And the winner is...

Staci!!!

congrats staci! She won the garden book giveaway.

staci blogs at http://www.podunkianpostgazette.blogspot.com/

staci please send us your info and we will get your book in the mail.

Michelle

Graduations, Weddings and Baby Showers.

If you are like us, every weekend in the month of June is consumed with Weddings, graduations, or baby showers. We have at least one thing every weekend! It can be a little overwhelming. The gift giving can get to be rather expensive too. I do have a suggestion...

Shop Etsy. I have a cousin that was in a hunting accident a couple years ago. He was shot in the pelvis while hauling out his deer. It's a long story. Anyway, He now occupies himself with woodworking and does some really unique and beautiful pieces at very reasonable prices. He makes the old fashioned flasks, like the civil war soldiers used, out of a singlepiece of hardwood and lines them with beeswax. He makes 3-D puzzles, and very unique jewelry boxes out of different woods. They have multiple drawers and are really neat. They would make great gifts for a graduate or a wedding couple. See www.etsy.com/shop/buckshotkenny . This is how Ken now supports himself.

While you are there, don't forget to look at www.etsy.com/shop/Bezaleelartisans . They are a homeschooling family of 11 children and sewing baby clothes, aprons and other things is how they pay their electric bill. They will sew adult dresses on request. I have had them do sewing for our tall girls, who can't find clothes that fit in the department stores.

It is always nice to get really nice things and support some families that work hard.
~Mom

Gardening

"Theophrastus... calleth the Rose the light of the earth, the faire bushie toppe of the spring, the fire of love, the lightening of the land."
John Parkinson
Theatrum Botanicum (1640)

I found a book at the big book sale called, "The Quotable Gardener". I will be sharing some of the goodies in our gardening posts. Our golden iris crashed on top of the rose bush. It looks pretty sensational. I like it. It is like a living flower arrangement.

The garden is coming along. We are a little late in our plantings, but it is happening. We got our zucchini in. We are told that we should have all our plants in by the full moon. That may not quite happen.

We are enjoying our mesclun mix lettuce. It is very good although we are still working on thinning it.

The peas are growing like gangbusters. I think they grow a couple inches every day now.

The other pea patch shades the lettuce. This is a good way to keep lettuce tasty as the hot weather approaches. Grow it north of a taller vegetable in the shade. When we pull the peas the tomatoes should be tall enough then to provide that shade.

We do have our tomatoes and eggplants in. I am still looking for basil, rosemary, broccoli, brussel sprouts, leeks, and maybe a red cabbage or two. It is time to start the beans now, too.

Do you know what herb/flower is considered nature's multi-vitamin?

" A weed is a plant that is not only in the wrong place, but intends to stay."

Sara Stein

My Weeds (1988)
~Mom

Give away - Square Foot Gardening

We would like to welcome some of our new readers with a give away. If you leave a comment you will be entered to receive a copy of Square Foot Gardening. This is the method we have found most useful in gardening in our little lot. It is the most productive per square foot and requires the least amount of time tending that we have found. This book will give lots of advice on how to prepare the beds and what to plant where. We regularly consult it as we plan our garden.
The winner will be randomly selected. This give away closes at 5 PM EST on Saturday June 5th.
~Mom

"A garden is never so good as it will be next year."
Thomas Cooper
Horticulture Magazine (January 1993)

Mom's 70th Birthday Surprise!

I guess the police heard that we were planning a party for Mom's 70th birthday and thought the party might get kind of wild. They had the SWAT vehicle parked outside, 'just in case'. (Actually, they were having a Tactical police seminar at the hotel - we felt VERY safe!) We decided to take her to a local hotel that has a small party room and a Sunday Brunch that she likes. We wanted to surprise her, but I think she was very suspicious by the time she got there. Oh Well!

Mom and Dad have been married for 49 years. They both are enjoying good health.

We gave her a picture of each of our families in a nice frame as our gift.

Maybe the best part of the gift is that we left the children at home. They were all at our house.

It was nice to be able to talk quietly and enjoy the time together.
Here we all are , with our spouses.

~Mom