In the name of the Telly, and the Ernie...
Teaching catechism to the under-two set does present some unique challenges. Toddlers' short attention span and tendency to fixate on a favorite thing, for example, can frustrate many a well-intentioned parent.
Here's how a session went at our house:
Joel: Claire, who made you?
Claire: Elmo
Seriously, though, we are planning to use the PCUSA catechism "Belonging to God" rather than the "Catechism for Young Children" that the PCA uses. This is largely because it uses more concrete language and does a good job of explaining salvation history in a straightforward way. We also like the way it personalizes the material, placing the child in the story of salvation and the church, rather than stating fairly abstract theological ideas.
3.31.2004
3.27.2004
Sprouts
The lettuce and peas have germinated! Cool. If nothing else, I can have pea salad this summer.
The lettuce and peas have germinated! Cool. If nothing else, I can have pea salad this summer.
3.23.2004
Time to sow
I've just started my seedlings for what I hope to be a more bountiful garden than last year. I know logically that the seeds will take over a week to germinate, but I can't seem to resist peeking at them every day.
I remember some of my earliest gardening endeavors working with my mom. She kept an enormous vegetable garden, as well as an herb garden and a big, scary raspberry patch. I knew that winter was nearly over when mom planned an outing to the agriculture center. There she picked up envelopes of seeds--some lumpy with promise, others suspiciously lightweight. I loved exploring the store and discovering that Purina made not only Cat Chow, like I fed our tangle of barncats, but also Rabbit Chow and Goat Chow.
It was always a thrill to watch the first signs of life from those hard seeds--one leaf, then two, poking up from the soil. How tender the tiny new plants were. I hated the scary week or so that the plants sat in the cold frame adjusting to the outdoors and "hardening off." Many wouldn't survive the ordeal. But those that did were soon lined up like soldiers in their new soil homes under mom's watchful eye.
I never have and never will like the weeding and mosquitos of midsummer, but I'm still captivated by spring's small magic waiting in a little pack of seeds.
I've just started my seedlings for what I hope to be a more bountiful garden than last year. I know logically that the seeds will take over a week to germinate, but I can't seem to resist peeking at them every day.
I remember some of my earliest gardening endeavors working with my mom. She kept an enormous vegetable garden, as well as an herb garden and a big, scary raspberry patch. I knew that winter was nearly over when mom planned an outing to the agriculture center. There she picked up envelopes of seeds--some lumpy with promise, others suspiciously lightweight. I loved exploring the store and discovering that Purina made not only Cat Chow, like I fed our tangle of barncats, but also Rabbit Chow and Goat Chow.
It was always a thrill to watch the first signs of life from those hard seeds--one leaf, then two, poking up from the soil. How tender the tiny new plants were. I hated the scary week or so that the plants sat in the cold frame adjusting to the outdoors and "hardening off." Many wouldn't survive the ordeal. But those that did were soon lined up like soldiers in their new soil homes under mom's watchful eye.
I never have and never will like the weeding and mosquitos of midsummer, but I'm still captivated by spring's small magic waiting in a little pack of seeds.
Super puzzler
Okay, I really need some help with this one. We have a lovely knife set crafted from an unpronounceable metal. Anyone wager a guess on how to pronounce Molybdenum?
Okay, I really need some help with this one. We have a lovely knife set crafted from an unpronounceable metal. Anyone wager a guess on how to pronounce Molybdenum?
3.18.2004
Puzzles
Dear readers, I'm ashamed that I've had so little to blog about. So it's time to crack out some of the lint that has been gathering in my brain.
Questions that puzzle me:
* Whatever happened to Michael Dukakis?
* Why do the media talk about "sex abuse" and "terror attacks" instead of "sexual abuse" and "terrorist attacks"?
* What were the parents of famous cellist Mr. Ma thinking when they named their son "Yo Yo"?
* Why isn't lamb more readily available in American supermarkets?
* Why does the crew that replaced our water mains spend only two hours a day repairing the street they tore up?
* Is low-carb ice cream really as disgusting as it sounds?
Dear readers, I'm ashamed that I've had so little to blog about. So it's time to crack out some of the lint that has been gathering in my brain.
Questions that puzzle me:
* Whatever happened to Michael Dukakis?
* Why do the media talk about "sex abuse" and "terror attacks" instead of "sexual abuse" and "terrorist attacks"?
* What were the parents of famous cellist Mr. Ma thinking when they named their son "Yo Yo"?
* Why isn't lamb more readily available in American supermarkets?
* Why does the crew that replaced our water mains spend only two hours a day repairing the street they tore up?
* Is low-carb ice cream really as disgusting as it sounds?
3.12.2004
More mysterious toddler behavior deciphered
Last night Claire had a huge meltdown when we tried to feed her dinner. A dinner guest was due to arrive and we figured our little one wouldn't want to postpone eating until the guest came. I sat her at the kitchen counter and started doling out food. She instantly became insensed, screaming and hurling food at us. She was freaking out so bad I thought she was going to vomit.
I pulled her out of the high chair and took her to the dining room to give her more space to have her tantrum. The screaming and gagging continued for several minutes. I tried holding her and that calmed her down. Finally, we moved to the living room and I read her a book as her post-crying hiccups abated.
She played until our guest arrived, then showed interest in eating in the dining room with us. Eventually she ate happily in her booster seat, the guest none the wiser about her previous outburst.
Tonight she again threw a fit over dinner. When Joel and I sat down to eat, I put Claire in her booster seat in the dining room, attached the tray and put a bowl of food in front of her. Again, she angrily threw food, cried, screamed and gagged.
We let her down, figuring she wasn't ready to eat yet. After a prolonged jag of kicking and crying, she calmed down and showed interest in eating. I put her in the booster seat, no problem. Then I attached the tray. More screaming and food throwing, then she kicked off the tray. I looked at Joel in exasperation. A look of sudden inspiration flashed across his face.
"Honey, do you want to sit close to the table with Mommy and Daddy?" he asked, pulling her booster seat up to the table.
The tears instantly stopped. I pulled a placemat out and put it under her bowl. She very happily ate, proudly practicing with her toddler fork.
All she really wanted was to eat at the table like she'd seen her little friend Ezra do at our playdate Wednesday morning. The fact that she'd pointed to the booster seat on Wednesday evening and said "Ezra" (okay, she calls him "Yeah-ruh") didn't mean much to me at the time. Now I realize she was trying to tell me she wanted to emulate how he eats.
Joel says it was the tray kicking that finally cued him in. He figured these tantrums were caused by simple frustration. She wanted something and couldn't get us to understand what that desire was.
I think we'd better brace ourselves for a whole lot of "I do it myself" in the coming months.
Last night Claire had a huge meltdown when we tried to feed her dinner. A dinner guest was due to arrive and we figured our little one wouldn't want to postpone eating until the guest came. I sat her at the kitchen counter and started doling out food. She instantly became insensed, screaming and hurling food at us. She was freaking out so bad I thought she was going to vomit.
I pulled her out of the high chair and took her to the dining room to give her more space to have her tantrum. The screaming and gagging continued for several minutes. I tried holding her and that calmed her down. Finally, we moved to the living room and I read her a book as her post-crying hiccups abated.
She played until our guest arrived, then showed interest in eating in the dining room with us. Eventually she ate happily in her booster seat, the guest none the wiser about her previous outburst.
Tonight she again threw a fit over dinner. When Joel and I sat down to eat, I put Claire in her booster seat in the dining room, attached the tray and put a bowl of food in front of her. Again, she angrily threw food, cried, screamed and gagged.
We let her down, figuring she wasn't ready to eat yet. After a prolonged jag of kicking and crying, she calmed down and showed interest in eating. I put her in the booster seat, no problem. Then I attached the tray. More screaming and food throwing, then she kicked off the tray. I looked at Joel in exasperation. A look of sudden inspiration flashed across his face.
"Honey, do you want to sit close to the table with Mommy and Daddy?" he asked, pulling her booster seat up to the table.
The tears instantly stopped. I pulled a placemat out and put it under her bowl. She very happily ate, proudly practicing with her toddler fork.
All she really wanted was to eat at the table like she'd seen her little friend Ezra do at our playdate Wednesday morning. The fact that she'd pointed to the booster seat on Wednesday evening and said "Ezra" (okay, she calls him "Yeah-ruh") didn't mean much to me at the time. Now I realize she was trying to tell me she wanted to emulate how he eats.
Joel says it was the tray kicking that finally cued him in. He figured these tantrums were caused by simple frustration. She wanted something and couldn't get us to understand what that desire was.
I think we'd better brace ourselves for a whole lot of "I do it myself" in the coming months.
3.06.2004
A new voice
As the pediatrician predicted earlier this week, Claire began the odyssey into sentences. As a parent, you always dream that your child's first sentence will be something charming and sweet like "I love you" or "me hug mommy."
Yesterday, we learned that the tyrrany of desire is what really takes precedence in learning to communicate. Not much enjoying what was on offer for dinner, Claire angrily yelled "I WANT NANNY [banana]!"
Sigh. Someday I'll rate higher than fruit.
As the pediatrician predicted earlier this week, Claire began the odyssey into sentences. As a parent, you always dream that your child's first sentence will be something charming and sweet like "I love you" or "me hug mommy."
Yesterday, we learned that the tyrrany of desire is what really takes precedence in learning to communicate. Not much enjoying what was on offer for dinner, Claire angrily yelled "I WANT NANNY [banana]!"
Sigh. Someday I'll rate higher than fruit.
3.04.2004
Rogue patrons, beware...
Putting the final touches on our annual report for the church library with our co-librarians, Joel and I started brainstorming ideas to deal with the perennial problem of overdues. The idea of advertising an "amnesty month" seemed appealing. We don't charge fines, so that's not really the issue. It's more that patrons are ashamed of having held onto something that belongs to the church for ages.
So it's getting late as we talk about this, and Joel is becoming more punchy by the minute. "Forget amnesty, we're too soft on these booksnatchers," he says. "You want the library books back? This is what we announce." [with appologies to Pres. Bush's Iraqi Freedom speechwriters]
NO MORE FRIKKIN LIBRARY AMNESTY
My fellow Tenth members, at this hour, diaconal forces are in the early stages of library operations to retrieve overdue books, to free them their borrowers and to defend us from this grave danger.
On my orders, diaconal forces have begun striking selected targets of library importance to undermine overdue borrower’s ability to retain books. These are opening stages of what will be a broad and concerted campaign. More than 35 ministries are giving crucial support -- from the use of office space, to help with intelligence and logistics, to the deployment of diaconal units. Every ministry in this coalition has chosen to bear the duty and share the honor of serving in our common library defense.
To all the men and women of the diaconate now in people’s homes, the peace of a troubled library and the hopes of an oppressed congregation now depend on you. That trust is well placed.
The enemies you confront will come to know your skill and bravery. The books you liberate will witness the honorable and decent spirit of the Tenth diaconate. In this conflict, Tenth faces an enemy who has no regard for conventions of book-borrowing or rules of book-return.
I want the members of Tenth and all the world to know that diaconal forces will make every effort to spare innocent civilians from harm.
Our church enters this conflict reluctantly -- yet, our purpose is sure. The people of Tenth and our friends and allies will not live at the mercy of outlaw library patrons that threaten the peace with wanton disregard for our return policy.
Now that conflict has come, the only way to limit its duration is to apply decisive force. And I assure you, this will not be a campaign of half measures, and we will accept no outcome but victory.
My fellow Tenth members, the dangers to our library and our church will be overcome. We will pass through this time of peril and carry on the work of peace. We will defend our collection. We will bring freedom to our books and we will prevail.
May God bless our library and all who defend her.
Putting the final touches on our annual report for the church library with our co-librarians, Joel and I started brainstorming ideas to deal with the perennial problem of overdues. The idea of advertising an "amnesty month" seemed appealing. We don't charge fines, so that's not really the issue. It's more that patrons are ashamed of having held onto something that belongs to the church for ages.
So it's getting late as we talk about this, and Joel is becoming more punchy by the minute. "Forget amnesty, we're too soft on these booksnatchers," he says. "You want the library books back? This is what we announce." [with appologies to Pres. Bush's Iraqi Freedom speechwriters]
NO MORE FRIKKIN LIBRARY AMNESTY
My fellow Tenth members, at this hour, diaconal forces are in the early stages of library operations to retrieve overdue books, to free them their borrowers and to defend us from this grave danger.
On my orders, diaconal forces have begun striking selected targets of library importance to undermine overdue borrower’s ability to retain books. These are opening stages of what will be a broad and concerted campaign. More than 35 ministries are giving crucial support -- from the use of office space, to help with intelligence and logistics, to the deployment of diaconal units. Every ministry in this coalition has chosen to bear the duty and share the honor of serving in our common library defense.
To all the men and women of the diaconate now in people’s homes, the peace of a troubled library and the hopes of an oppressed congregation now depend on you. That trust is well placed.
The enemies you confront will come to know your skill and bravery. The books you liberate will witness the honorable and decent spirit of the Tenth diaconate. In this conflict, Tenth faces an enemy who has no regard for conventions of book-borrowing or rules of book-return.
I want the members of Tenth and all the world to know that diaconal forces will make every effort to spare innocent civilians from harm.
Our church enters this conflict reluctantly -- yet, our purpose is sure. The people of Tenth and our friends and allies will not live at the mercy of outlaw library patrons that threaten the peace with wanton disregard for our return policy.
Now that conflict has come, the only way to limit its duration is to apply decisive force. And I assure you, this will not be a campaign of half measures, and we will accept no outcome but victory.
My fellow Tenth members, the dangers to our library and our church will be overcome. We will pass through this time of peril and carry on the work of peace. We will defend our collection. We will bring freedom to our books and we will prevail.
May God bless our library and all who defend her.
3.01.2004
Stargazing
I was a little disappointed that only some of the cast of Return of the King attended the Oscars. I would have liked to see David Wenham again. And Bernard Hill.
I think on screen, David Wenham is better looking than Sean Bean, or at least looks far better in a wig. Sean Bean is perhaps better looking in real life. He's kind of old though.
Okay, here's my true confession. I have Faramir wallpaper on my computer. Really, it's the character that I like, largely as portrayed in the books. When I boot up, I do this little chant-- "Fair-a-mir! Fair-a-mir!"--and Joel glowers at me.
LOL, I can hear the lectures now about what a bad wife I am....
I was a little disappointed that only some of the cast of Return of the King attended the Oscars. I would have liked to see David Wenham again. And Bernard Hill.
I think on screen, David Wenham is better looking than Sean Bean, or at least looks far better in a wig. Sean Bean is perhaps better looking in real life. He's kind of old though.
Okay, here's my true confession. I have Faramir wallpaper on my computer. Really, it's the character that I like, largely as portrayed in the books. When I boot up, I do this little chant-- "Fair-a-mir! Fair-a-mir!"--and Joel glowers at me.
LOL, I can hear the lectures now about what a bad wife I am....
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