Bad Mommy
Nothing makes a parent feel worse than knowing you've caused harm to your child.
Poor Claire had a terrible rash all over her torso on Saturday that I didn't discover until fairly late in the day. I rushed to my Practical Pediatrician book to try to figure out what was wrong. Joel said, "looks like hives to me."
Hives. Ugh. Not another allergy to figure out! This summer she proved to be allergic to raw tomatoes. Could this be a food allergy? Hmm, those give you hives all over. Her rash was only on the chest and back and stopped at the diaper line.
Epiphany: evil new undershirt! Gerber onsies come nice and stiff from the pack thanks to some sort of starch or sizing. Claire's allergic to that.
Fortunately, her rash cleared up by this morning with a bath, benadryl and hydrocortisone cream. I was somewhat heditant to put her in Sunday School yesterday, mostly because of my fears about what her teachers might think of my parenting. What good mother gives her children rashes? Well, my pride be darned, she loves her class, so off she went with a note from Bad Mommy that she's not contagious, just sensitive skinned.
Now I know to prewash anything new that's stiff. Doh!
1.27.2005
Infinite capacity for self-deception
I recently finished re-reading Susan Howatch's Scandalous Risks, the only of her Church of England series with a female narrator. The story dovetailed well with the Bible study lesson I prepared this week on Matthew 5:27-32.
Venetia Flaxton, a noblewoman in her 20s, strikes up an unusual friendship with one of her father's friends, a 61-year-old married clergyman. When they begin corresponding about her spiritual questions, trouble begins. Emotional entanglement ensues, and the two of them also begin stealing moments of passionate hndholding, then embraces, then kissing, then petting. The clergyman Aysgarth uses an emerging strand of liberal theology to justify the relationship. In his mind, they love each other, and as long as there is no int3rc0urse, there is no adultery.
This line of reasoning is exactly what Jesus denounces in the Sermon on the Mount. Sexual sin is much more a slippery slope than Aysgarth would like to think. Even without "technical" adultery, the relationship is very destructive, especially to Venetia, a spiritually confused young woman who most needed guidance, not manipulation and exploitation. Because he wouldn't metaphorically "cut off his hands" and give up the companionship, intellectual stimulation and joy of the inappropriate friendship, he ends up in a kind of hell. He wrecks his career and watches several of his children slowly self-destruct. Even when Venetia does find the strength and support to cut off the relationship, she also ends up in a kind of hell. She marries a man she doesn't love to protect Aysgarth, and ends up in self-destructive despair.
The women at my Bible study got into some really good discussion about what it might mean for us to "pluck out our eyes" or "cut off our hands" to avoid temptation. One person mentioned leaving a good job because a coworker flirts with you. Another mentioned cancelling cable and buying filtering software for the computer.
Because Scandalous Risks tackles the slippery slope of infidelity in an unsalacious (yet very readable) manner, I found it a good antidote to the junk I really should stop watching on TV.
I recently finished re-reading Susan Howatch's Scandalous Risks, the only of her Church of England series with a female narrator. The story dovetailed well with the Bible study lesson I prepared this week on Matthew 5:27-32.
Venetia Flaxton, a noblewoman in her 20s, strikes up an unusual friendship with one of her father's friends, a 61-year-old married clergyman. When they begin corresponding about her spiritual questions, trouble begins. Emotional entanglement ensues, and the two of them also begin stealing moments of passionate hndholding, then embraces, then kissing, then petting. The clergyman Aysgarth uses an emerging strand of liberal theology to justify the relationship. In his mind, they love each other, and as long as there is no int3rc0urse, there is no adultery.
This line of reasoning is exactly what Jesus denounces in the Sermon on the Mount. Sexual sin is much more a slippery slope than Aysgarth would like to think. Even without "technical" adultery, the relationship is very destructive, especially to Venetia, a spiritually confused young woman who most needed guidance, not manipulation and exploitation. Because he wouldn't metaphorically "cut off his hands" and give up the companionship, intellectual stimulation and joy of the inappropriate friendship, he ends up in a kind of hell. He wrecks his career and watches several of his children slowly self-destruct. Even when Venetia does find the strength and support to cut off the relationship, she also ends up in a kind of hell. She marries a man she doesn't love to protect Aysgarth, and ends up in self-destructive despair.
The women at my Bible study got into some really good discussion about what it might mean for us to "pluck out our eyes" or "cut off our hands" to avoid temptation. One person mentioned leaving a good job because a coworker flirts with you. Another mentioned cancelling cable and buying filtering software for the computer.
Because Scandalous Risks tackles the slippery slope of infidelity in an unsalacious (yet very readable) manner, I found it a good antidote to the junk I really should stop watching on TV.
1.25.2005
Contenders
When the Oscar nominations were announced this morning, I realized I'd seen almost none of the films. I do have an opinion about one category, however: Animated Feature.
My vote goes strongly for The Incredibles. The premise is tied to a genre, yet is so fresh and original that it definitely deserves the nomination for best original screenplay. The humor is multi-level, full of slapstick for the kids (and Stooges fans), snappy one liners, and humorous allusions to film, literature and pop culture. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard during a film.
At the same time, the film delivers action-packed suspense and touching relationships between characters. I found the morals of loyalty, bravery, community and responsibility put forward without the story getting mired down or seeming preachy. It drove home the evils of envy: the villan is a brilliant inventor who could be using his gifts to the betterment of humanity, but he ends of driven mad by his envy of others' innate gifts, to his ultimate destruction.
Please weigh in on your favorite among the nominees: A Shark's Tale, Shrek 2 or The Incredibles.
When the Oscar nominations were announced this morning, I realized I'd seen almost none of the films. I do have an opinion about one category, however: Animated Feature.
My vote goes strongly for The Incredibles. The premise is tied to a genre, yet is so fresh and original that it definitely deserves the nomination for best original screenplay. The humor is multi-level, full of slapstick for the kids (and Stooges fans), snappy one liners, and humorous allusions to film, literature and pop culture. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard during a film.
At the same time, the film delivers action-packed suspense and touching relationships between characters. I found the morals of loyalty, bravery, community and responsibility put forward without the story getting mired down or seeming preachy. It drove home the evils of envy: the villan is a brilliant inventor who could be using his gifts to the betterment of humanity, but he ends of driven mad by his envy of others' innate gifts, to his ultimate destruction.
Please weigh in on your favorite among the nominees: A Shark's Tale, Shrek 2 or The Incredibles.
1.23.2005
Snow days!
We're kicking back and enjoying our first big snowstorm of the season. The first flakes began yesterday morning, as we watched a flock of corpulent robins take up residence in our juniper tree (below).
Between bouts of gorging themselves on the ripe, silvery-blue berries, the jolly birds perched alternately on the porch rails or rocking chairs and fluffed up their feathers to even more rotund proportions. How fun to offer hospitality so effortlessly.
This morning we missed attending church because the roads were treacherous, public transit is offering only spotty service and it was far to cold to wait for a train that might never come. We did a shortened version of morning prayer at home with Claire, followed by some Sunday-school type crafts based on Daniel 3 (the young men rescued from the firey furnace). Claire had a great time making "stained glass" fire pictures by melting old crayons on a warming tray and transferring the wax onto sheets of thin paper. We also listened to a live webcast of the sermon at Tenth.
After lunch, it was time to do some shoveling and let Claire play in the snow a bit.
I made the mistake of letting Nicky come outside without a leash. He took off in a blind run up the street, with me in hot pursuit. The more I called him, the faster he ran. He ran out in front of two cars, which fortunately stopped to let the demented dog and screeching woman pass. He then darted down the footpath into woodsy Wissahickon Park. The snow was too deep for me to follow very far.
In an act of desparation, I flopped down on my back there in the woods and pretended to be hurt to get him to come near enough to grab by the collar. This too proved fairly fruitless. He came within 10 feet then proceeded to bark and bark and bark at me, as if to say "C'mon, Mom, let's play tag some more!"
I got to my knees and begged the dog to come, my fury finally spent. More barking.
With no other ideas of how to capture Nicky, I got up and started clambering up the trail toward home. He eagerly followed and I finally got hold of his collar. The next back-aching block, I held tight to his collar and brought my chastened pup home.
I think I need a nap now.
We're kicking back and enjoying our first big snowstorm of the season. The first flakes began yesterday morning, as we watched a flock of corpulent robins take up residence in our juniper tree (below).
Between bouts of gorging themselves on the ripe, silvery-blue berries, the jolly birds perched alternately on the porch rails or rocking chairs and fluffed up their feathers to even more rotund proportions. How fun to offer hospitality so effortlessly.
This morning we missed attending church because the roads were treacherous, public transit is offering only spotty service and it was far to cold to wait for a train that might never come. We did a shortened version of morning prayer at home with Claire, followed by some Sunday-school type crafts based on Daniel 3 (the young men rescued from the firey furnace). Claire had a great time making "stained glass" fire pictures by melting old crayons on a warming tray and transferring the wax onto sheets of thin paper. We also listened to a live webcast of the sermon at Tenth.
After lunch, it was time to do some shoveling and let Claire play in the snow a bit.
I made the mistake of letting Nicky come outside without a leash. He took off in a blind run up the street, with me in hot pursuit. The more I called him, the faster he ran. He ran out in front of two cars, which fortunately stopped to let the demented dog and screeching woman pass. He then darted down the footpath into woodsy Wissahickon Park. The snow was too deep for me to follow very far.
In an act of desparation, I flopped down on my back there in the woods and pretended to be hurt to get him to come near enough to grab by the collar. This too proved fairly fruitless. He came within 10 feet then proceeded to bark and bark and bark at me, as if to say "C'mon, Mom, let's play tag some more!"
I got to my knees and begged the dog to come, my fury finally spent. More barking.
With no other ideas of how to capture Nicky, I got up and started clambering up the trail toward home. He eagerly followed and I finally got hold of his collar. The next back-aching block, I held tight to his collar and brought my chastened pup home.
I think I need a nap now.
1.18.2005
Alas
My poor tulips are unlikely to survive this winter. They were sadly tricked into pushing up out of the soil over the past few weeks when our temperatures were as high as the low 60s. (In fact, I've hung out laundry four times this month, which I never do unless the temp is above 55 and sunny.) Tonight the temperature is slated to fall to 6 degrees, so I hold little hope for those tender little shoots, despite my attempts to provide a little insulation with mulch.
Sigh.
My poor tulips are unlikely to survive this winter. They were sadly tricked into pushing up out of the soil over the past few weeks when our temperatures were as high as the low 60s. (In fact, I've hung out laundry four times this month, which I never do unless the temp is above 55 and sunny.) Tonight the temperature is slated to fall to 6 degrees, so I hold little hope for those tender little shoots, despite my attempts to provide a little insulation with mulch.
Sigh.
1.16.2005
Gulp
I've been sick for nearly a week now with some sort of infection that seems especially to be attacking my throat and tonsills. After poring over our home medical guides, I'm pretty sure it's not strep throat because of the lack of tell-tale white patches in the throat. It's likely a virus that I'll simply have to ride out.
I've had strep only once in my life, back in 1986 (nearly 20 years ago, double gulp!). How foolish I used to be about illness back then. I remember putting in full days at school, going to my part-time job and even participating in the county band festival with hellfire burning in my throat.
I wonder how many customers and musicians I infected in my stupidity. Granted, going to county band was a HUGE deal for a mallet percussionist, as there were only two spots and like 10 school districts to draw from. At the time, it seemed completely worthwhile to run myself into the ground.
How we suffer for our art.
I've been sick for nearly a week now with some sort of infection that seems especially to be attacking my throat and tonsills. After poring over our home medical guides, I'm pretty sure it's not strep throat because of the lack of tell-tale white patches in the throat. It's likely a virus that I'll simply have to ride out.
I've had strep only once in my life, back in 1986 (nearly 20 years ago, double gulp!). How foolish I used to be about illness back then. I remember putting in full days at school, going to my part-time job and even participating in the county band festival with hellfire burning in my throat.
I wonder how many customers and musicians I infected in my stupidity. Granted, going to county band was a HUGE deal for a mallet percussionist, as there were only two spots and like 10 school districts to draw from. At the time, it seemed completely worthwhile to run myself into the ground.
How we suffer for our art.
1.10.2005
Pumpkin
Wondering what to do with those extra cans of pumpkin puree you bought at super bargain prices over the holidays? Try my perennial favorite quick bread recipe that yields best results if frozen first--a great timesaver when preparing for a brunch, or, in my case, snack for a 70-member choir.
Supermoist Pumpkin Bread
yield: 2 loaves prep time: 20 minutes bake time: 60-70 minutes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 standard 9"x5"x3" loaf pans (or 3 smaller 8.5"x4.5"x2.5" pans).
Cream together until fluffy:
2/3 C shortening
2 2/3 C sugar
Stir in:
4 eggs
2/3 C water
16 oz. (2 C) canned pumpkin puree
In a separate bowl, sift together:
3 1/3 C flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients. If desired, add 2/3 C raisins.
Pour batter into greased pans. Bake for 60-70 minutes (less time for smaller or dark metal pans). Bread is done when inserted knife or tester comes out clean.
Cool bread for 20 minutes, remove from pans, wrap in foil and freeze overnight or until needed (up to 1 month). Thaw and enjoy!
Other hints:
Most canned pumpkin comes in 29 oz. cans, which would yield a recipe and a half, with a little waste. The above recipe can be halved easily, except the flour is trickier--use 2.5 Tbsp and you'll have approximately 1/6 of a cup. Alternately, freeze the extra cup of pumpkin puree for later use.
Wondering what to do with those extra cans of pumpkin puree you bought at super bargain prices over the holidays? Try my perennial favorite quick bread recipe that yields best results if frozen first--a great timesaver when preparing for a brunch, or, in my case, snack for a 70-member choir.
Supermoist Pumpkin Bread
yield: 2 loaves prep time: 20 minutes bake time: 60-70 minutes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 standard 9"x5"x3" loaf pans (or 3 smaller 8.5"x4.5"x2.5" pans).
Cream together until fluffy:
2/3 C shortening
2 2/3 C sugar
Stir in:
4 eggs
2/3 C water
16 oz. (2 C) canned pumpkin puree
In a separate bowl, sift together:
3 1/3 C flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients. If desired, add 2/3 C raisins.
Pour batter into greased pans. Bake for 60-70 minutes (less time for smaller or dark metal pans). Bread is done when inserted knife or tester comes out clean.
Cool bread for 20 minutes, remove from pans, wrap in foil and freeze overnight or until needed (up to 1 month). Thaw and enjoy!
Other hints:
Most canned pumpkin comes in 29 oz. cans, which would yield a recipe and a half, with a little waste. The above recipe can be halved easily, except the flour is trickier--use 2.5 Tbsp and you'll have approximately 1/6 of a cup. Alternately, freeze the extra cup of pumpkin puree for later use.
1.08.2005
Wow
I haven't blogged in so long, I'd nearly forgotten my login for the blogger site. Now that we have a laptop (that my husband is supposed to share), I thought it was about time to drop into the blogosphere again. (Dawn and Valerie have something to do with it too.)
I don't have any really great excuse for not blogging other than that I'd grown somewhat bored with it. I also suffer from the curse of the youngest child--having been told by older siblings for so long that I'm pestering them, I've begun to believe that no one is particularly interested in what I have to say. This is not reallly a conducive attitude for blogging.
Blogging requires a certain amount of chutzpa that has been more on the wane in my personality of late. I am constantly humbled in my attempts at parenting. Despite best laid plans, my daughter does not always sleep when I want her to, wear the outfits I pick, or eat the nutritious fare I prepare. Housekeeping is also very humbling. I can vacuum and dust and tidy with the best of then, only to have toys and fingerprints and dog fur reappear in a matter of hours or minutes.
I am deeply living in the experience that I am nothing, and yet, I am the glue that holds my home and family together.
I haven't blogged in so long, I'd nearly forgotten my login for the blogger site. Now that we have a laptop (that my husband is supposed to share), I thought it was about time to drop into the blogosphere again. (Dawn and Valerie have something to do with it too.)
I don't have any really great excuse for not blogging other than that I'd grown somewhat bored with it. I also suffer from the curse of the youngest child--having been told by older siblings for so long that I'm pestering them, I've begun to believe that no one is particularly interested in what I have to say. This is not reallly a conducive attitude for blogging.
Blogging requires a certain amount of chutzpa that has been more on the wane in my personality of late. I am constantly humbled in my attempts at parenting. Despite best laid plans, my daughter does not always sleep when I want her to, wear the outfits I pick, or eat the nutritious fare I prepare. Housekeeping is also very humbling. I can vacuum and dust and tidy with the best of then, only to have toys and fingerprints and dog fur reappear in a matter of hours or minutes.
I am deeply living in the experience that I am nothing, and yet, I am the glue that holds my home and family together.
10.29.2004
I now pronounce...
It's so fun to observe Claire's language skills growing. She can recite almost the entire book "Are You My Mother?" by P.D. Eastman. Her sentences grow longer and more complex every few weeks: "Mommy, Cwaire go up-tairs, take teddy, use my new bwocks, build big house!" (Those Ls are still pretty tricky to say, poor kid.)
I was looking over one of my posts from earlier in the summer (when I was blogging more) and thought it would be fun to show an update. Watch Clairish slowly evolve into English!
1. zebra
deebah (21 mo.); zebwa (26 mo.)
2. butterfly
buckeye (21 mo.); bufwy (26 mo.)
3. squirrel
squeal (21 mo.); squill (26 mo.)
4. bunny rabbit
boggy ragit (21 mo.); bunny rabbit (26 mo.)
5. Christopher Robin
Critfer Rogick (21 mo.); Crissfer Robin (26. mo.)
6. blueberries
boo-boo bays (21 mo.); boo-boo baywies (26. mo.)
7. melon
may-ya-ya-ya-uhn (21 mo.); mewon (26 mo.)
8. noodles
noo-noo (21 mo.); noodos (26 mo.)
9. pretzels
backles (21 mo.); pretzo (26 mo.)
10. Caesar salad dressing
teaser sauce (21 mo.); Seazo dwessing (26 mo.)
11. Sing "Running Over" again
Moe ruck ogre (21 mo.); Sing again, "runnik ober" (26 mo.)
12. clean blanket
key backie (21 mo.); kween bwanket (26 mo.)
13. My hands are dirty
hanks duty (21 mo.); my hans vey duty (26 mo.)
14. city bus
ditty buts (21 mo.); ceety bus (26 mo.)
One of her cutest Clairisms dissappeared very quickly. At around 19 months, she called apple sauce "backel doss." In no time, that became, distinctively "appo zauce." I will be especially sad when she stops calling that silly, willy-nilly, old bear by the name "Wibby Pooh."
It's so fun to observe Claire's language skills growing. She can recite almost the entire book "Are You My Mother?" by P.D. Eastman. Her sentences grow longer and more complex every few weeks: "Mommy, Cwaire go up-tairs, take teddy, use my new bwocks, build big house!" (Those Ls are still pretty tricky to say, poor kid.)
I was looking over one of my posts from earlier in the summer (when I was blogging more) and thought it would be fun to show an update. Watch Clairish slowly evolve into English!
1. zebra
deebah (21 mo.); zebwa (26 mo.)
2. butterfly
buckeye (21 mo.); bufwy (26 mo.)
3. squirrel
squeal (21 mo.); squill (26 mo.)
4. bunny rabbit
boggy ragit (21 mo.); bunny rabbit (26 mo.)
5. Christopher Robin
Critfer Rogick (21 mo.); Crissfer Robin (26. mo.)
6. blueberries
boo-boo bays (21 mo.); boo-boo baywies (26. mo.)
7. melon
may-ya-ya-ya-uhn (21 mo.); mewon (26 mo.)
8. noodles
noo-noo (21 mo.); noodos (26 mo.)
9. pretzels
backles (21 mo.); pretzo (26 mo.)
10. Caesar salad dressing
teaser sauce (21 mo.); Seazo dwessing (26 mo.)
11. Sing "Running Over" again
Moe ruck ogre (21 mo.); Sing again, "runnik ober" (26 mo.)
12. clean blanket
key backie (21 mo.); kween bwanket (26 mo.)
13. My hands are dirty
hanks duty (21 mo.); my hans vey duty (26 mo.)
14. city bus
ditty buts (21 mo.); ceety bus (26 mo.)
One of her cutest Clairisms dissappeared very quickly. At around 19 months, she called apple sauce "backel doss." In no time, that became, distinctively "appo zauce." I will be especially sad when she stops calling that silly, willy-nilly, old bear by the name "Wibby Pooh."
8.12.2004
Hanging
Well, I've survived over a week without my husband and with my mother. You can probably imagine why Joel is the one of us who's blogging all the time, seeing that I have to keep up with Claire, run our home and somehow be entertaining and willing to sightsee with mom.
We three generations have kept a pretty full calendar, with trips to the zoo and feeding the ducks in Fairmount park, getting to some of my regular stuff like Bible studies, visting with other family and holding a Pampered Chef party.
At the party tonight, I was reminded yet again of what a pain in the neck the dog is when we have company. Nicky barks and howls and barks and howls when people arrive, so much so that no one can carry on a conversation. Gating him in another room seems to make him howl and bark more. Put him outside and he just annoys everyone in the neighborhood. I think my only option when we hold a birthday party for Claire next week is to put him in his crate in our detatched garage before any guests arrive. I think he'll be less likely to be so barky if he can neither see nor hear the guests.
I'd love to hear any other humane suggestions for curbing the noisyness of a half-husky when company comes.
Well, I've survived over a week without my husband and with my mother. You can probably imagine why Joel is the one of us who's blogging all the time, seeing that I have to keep up with Claire, run our home and somehow be entertaining and willing to sightsee with mom.
We three generations have kept a pretty full calendar, with trips to the zoo and feeding the ducks in Fairmount park, getting to some of my regular stuff like Bible studies, visting with other family and holding a Pampered Chef party.
At the party tonight, I was reminded yet again of what a pain in the neck the dog is when we have company. Nicky barks and howls and barks and howls when people arrive, so much so that no one can carry on a conversation. Gating him in another room seems to make him howl and bark more. Put him outside and he just annoys everyone in the neighborhood. I think my only option when we hold a birthday party for Claire next week is to put him in his crate in our detatched garage before any guests arrive. I think he'll be less likely to be so barky if he can neither see nor hear the guests.
I'd love to hear any other humane suggestions for curbing the noisyness of a half-husky when company comes.
7.27.2004
Madison
One of Claire's current favorites among her books is the Madeline anthology. After reading two or three of the stories and putting her to bed, I find myself thinking in Bemelmans-style rhyme. I think it might be fun to someday write a Philly version, sort of a parody. It would start something like this:
In an old house in Philly
covered up with graffitti
lived a plump, kindly mama
who made killer baked ziti.
In her tall, narrow house
lived six little girls
who used straightening irons
to flatten their curls.
With hair in tight buns
they went searching for fun
the bossiest one was Madison.
Mikayla, Mia, Casey and Karly
fell in line when Madison called for a parley
Only her sister Annemarie
was nearly as headstrong as she.
I'm not sure what sorts of Philly-style adventures I'd dream up for these girls. Any ideas? I'd definitely have plently of late-night waking. Miss Clavel always seems to be waking in the middle of the night sensing something is not right.
One of Claire's current favorites among her books is the Madeline anthology. After reading two or three of the stories and putting her to bed, I find myself thinking in Bemelmans-style rhyme. I think it might be fun to someday write a Philly version, sort of a parody. It would start something like this:
In an old house in Philly
covered up with graffitti
lived a plump, kindly mama
who made killer baked ziti.
In her tall, narrow house
lived six little girls
who used straightening irons
to flatten their curls.
With hair in tight buns
they went searching for fun
the bossiest one was Madison.
Mikayla, Mia, Casey and Karly
fell in line when Madison called for a parley
Only her sister Annemarie
was nearly as headstrong as she.
I'm not sure what sorts of Philly-style adventures I'd dream up for these girls. Any ideas? I'd definitely have plently of late-night waking. Miss Clavel always seems to be waking in the middle of the night sensing something is not right.
7.26.2004
More bloggers IRL
This past weekend we hosted Rick and Rachel Capezza, who have been working at a camp in New Jersey for the summer. I'm just now realizing that we took no pictures! They had a camera, though probably won't be blogging for a while.
We showed them some of the sights (or is it sites?) in historic Philly, lunched on cheesesteaks and hung out talking a lot. Sunday was a little bit Episcopalian, a little bit low-church Presby. And of course, Claire had to share her Veggie passion with our guests with a showing of "Lyle, the Kindly Viking." She could watch that tape continuously all day if we let her.
This past weekend we hosted Rick and Rachel Capezza, who have been working at a camp in New Jersey for the summer. I'm just now realizing that we took no pictures! They had a camera, though probably won't be blogging for a while.
We showed them some of the sights (or is it sites?) in historic Philly, lunched on cheesesteaks and hung out talking a lot. Sunday was a little bit Episcopalian, a little bit low-church Presby. And of course, Claire had to share her Veggie passion with our guests with a showing of "Lyle, the Kindly Viking." She could watch that tape continuously all day if we let her.
7.21.2004
Transit trials
I'm mostly back on track after an across-the-state trip last week with another mom and our two preschoolers. Pennsylvania never seemed large until we started planning for this trip to see a mutual friend who lives in New Castle, up in the northwest corner of the state near the Ohio border. I had some serious doubts that we could do the drive from Philly in less than like 10 hours because the kids would perpetually want us to stop.
My friend had a secret weapon. That's right, a portable DVD player. I'll admit that I used to moan every time I'd see an ad on TV for vehicles equipped with this device. "Great," I'd tell Joel, "just the way to guaratee you never have to actually speak to or interact with your children."
Well, I've revised my opinion a bit on that count. For fidgety toddlers on long rides, the technology can be a big blessing. My friend bought the DVD when her mother was dying from ovarian cancer and she needed to make regular 8+ hour drives to North Carolina with her toddler son. It kept her sane and prevented her son's motion sickness (so long as the player was below window level). When we had her son plus Claire in the back seat, they were far more content watching Elmo or Pooh than my attempts at a puppet show. The power struggles over toys also ended when a video played.
We also didn't need to make many stops. We did the 400+ mile trip in about 7 hours total, not too shabby for travel with kids aged 23 months and 3 and a half years. And I even got to do some needlework in transit!
I'm mostly back on track after an across-the-state trip last week with another mom and our two preschoolers. Pennsylvania never seemed large until we started planning for this trip to see a mutual friend who lives in New Castle, up in the northwest corner of the state near the Ohio border. I had some serious doubts that we could do the drive from Philly in less than like 10 hours because the kids would perpetually want us to stop.
My friend had a secret weapon. That's right, a portable DVD player. I'll admit that I used to moan every time I'd see an ad on TV for vehicles equipped with this device. "Great," I'd tell Joel, "just the way to guaratee you never have to actually speak to or interact with your children."
Well, I've revised my opinion a bit on that count. For fidgety toddlers on long rides, the technology can be a big blessing. My friend bought the DVD when her mother was dying from ovarian cancer and she needed to make regular 8+ hour drives to North Carolina with her toddler son. It kept her sane and prevented her son's motion sickness (so long as the player was below window level). When we had her son plus Claire in the back seat, they were far more content watching Elmo or Pooh than my attempts at a puppet show. The power struggles over toys also ended when a video played.
We also didn't need to make many stops. We did the 400+ mile trip in about 7 hours total, not too shabby for travel with kids aged 23 months and 3 and a half years. And I even got to do some needlework in transit!
7.12.2004
Pah-tee
My husband has been out of commission for two days with a migraine. We had hurricane-like weather and about 5 inches of rainfall today. And yet, I feel like celebrating. Can you guess why? Claire used the potty successfully tonight!
For months now, I've put her on the potty after her bath because she'd say she needed to go, then would not go. Tonight I set her on, left the room to get something, and came back to discover her success. Guess she's just shy. ;-)
My husband has been out of commission for two days with a migraine. We had hurricane-like weather and about 5 inches of rainfall today. And yet, I feel like celebrating. Can you guess why? Claire used the potty successfully tonight!
For months now, I've put her on the potty after her bath because she'd say she needed to go, then would not go. Tonight I set her on, left the room to get something, and came back to discover her success. Guess she's just shy. ;-)
7.09.2004
Interpreting tongues
Claire's language skills are growing in leaps and bounds these days. She picks up several new words a day and mostly speaks in full sentences.
While she says some words very clearly, her annunciation on the whole still leaves a lot to be desired. Sometimes I think I need the spiritual gift of interpreting tongues to understand what she's saying.
Try this quiz to see how well you can understand Clairish.
Match the Clairish terms with English
1. deebah
2. buckeye
3. squeal
4. boggy ragit
5. critfer rogick
6. boo-boo bayies
7. may-ya-ya-ya-uhn
8. noo-noo
9. backles
10. teaser sauce
11. Moe ruck ogre
12. key backie
13. hanks duty
14. ditty buts
A. melon
B. Christopher Robin
C. clean blanket
D. squirrel
E. pretzels
F. sing "Running Over" again
G. blueberries
H. my hands are dirty
I. noodles
J. zebra
K. city bus
L. bunny rabbit
M. Ceasar salad dressing
N. butterfly
Claire's language skills are growing in leaps and bounds these days. She picks up several new words a day and mostly speaks in full sentences.
While she says some words very clearly, her annunciation on the whole still leaves a lot to be desired. Sometimes I think I need the spiritual gift of interpreting tongues to understand what she's saying.
Try this quiz to see how well you can understand Clairish.
Match the Clairish terms with English
1. deebah
2. buckeye
3. squeal
4. boggy ragit
5. critfer rogick
6. boo-boo bayies
7. may-ya-ya-ya-uhn
8. noo-noo
9. backles
10. teaser sauce
11. Moe ruck ogre
12. key backie
13. hanks duty
14. ditty buts
A. melon
B. Christopher Robin
C. clean blanket
D. squirrel
E. pretzels
F. sing "Running Over" again
G. blueberries
H. my hands are dirty
I. noodles
J. zebra
K. city bus
L. bunny rabbit
M. Ceasar salad dressing
N. butterfly
7.07.2004
Vacation
I really needed that vacation from blogging. Sorry to leave you with such a non-shiny-happy-people sort of poem for over a month. Just wasn't motivated to get online much.
The reading contest we started at church has been a great success so far, with 43 kids participating. Obviously, this means a hefty amount of paperwork for me. I have to read and log all of the book reports kids turn in. I set up several spreadsheets to track it all. Each sheet has an individual worksheet for each kid where I record book titles, plus a general tally for the group. It took a while to set up, but it's an easy system to maintain. I'm keeping the paper reports in file folders and will return the reports at the end of the contest. The homeschool kids could probably add these to their portfolios.
Joel set up a pretty nice website for the contest that we can use to post book reviews and stuff in the Fall. To start us off, I might need to solicit some reviews from you, our online friends. Here are some of the titles we added this summer:
On Being Black and Reformed by Anthony Carter
The Lord's Service by Jeffrey Meyers
Sermons that Shaped America by William Barker
The Faith of Jesus Christ by Richard Hays
The Lord's Supper by Jean-Jacques vonAllmen
Luther's Faith: The Cause of the Gospel in the Church by Daniel Olivier
The Victory According to Mark by Mark Horne
With Reverence and Awe: Returning to the Basics of Reformed Worship by D.G. Hart
The Binding of God by Peter Lillback
The Catholicity of the Reformation by Carl Braaten & Robert Jenson
Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible by Jay Adams
That's just a sampling. We had more than 50 books donated from our amazon wish list, largely from one very generous patron. If you have any interest in writing up a short review on any of these titles to be published online, please let me know.
I really needed that vacation from blogging. Sorry to leave you with such a non-shiny-happy-people sort of poem for over a month. Just wasn't motivated to get online much.
The reading contest we started at church has been a great success so far, with 43 kids participating. Obviously, this means a hefty amount of paperwork for me. I have to read and log all of the book reports kids turn in. I set up several spreadsheets to track it all. Each sheet has an individual worksheet for each kid where I record book titles, plus a general tally for the group. It took a while to set up, but it's an easy system to maintain. I'm keeping the paper reports in file folders and will return the reports at the end of the contest. The homeschool kids could probably add these to their portfolios.
Joel set up a pretty nice website for the contest that we can use to post book reviews and stuff in the Fall. To start us off, I might need to solicit some reviews from you, our online friends. Here are some of the titles we added this summer:
On Being Black and Reformed by Anthony Carter
The Lord's Service by Jeffrey Meyers
Sermons that Shaped America by William Barker
The Faith of Jesus Christ by Richard Hays
The Lord's Supper by Jean-Jacques vonAllmen
Luther's Faith: The Cause of the Gospel in the Church by Daniel Olivier
The Victory According to Mark by Mark Horne
With Reverence and Awe: Returning to the Basics of Reformed Worship by D.G. Hart
The Binding of God by Peter Lillback
The Catholicity of the Reformation by Carl Braaten & Robert Jenson
Marriage, Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible by Jay Adams
That's just a sampling. We had more than 50 books donated from our amazon wish list, largely from one very generous patron. If you have any interest in writing up a short review on any of these titles to be published online, please let me know.
5.13.2004
Found in the files
...Poem written as an undergraduate and heavily revised about six years later
Nothing Worth Mentioning
November house on the road to nowhere
its rusted sign for vacancy
a Northstar to compassless
young people chasing every nightmare
they never bothered mentioning.
Nine volt voices grow static
in the crackle snip snap darkness
while endlessly rehearsing
the first six verses of nothing
new under the sun.
Old people stare out of sightless
eyes at nothing--
well, nothing worth mentioning
in asphalt forests where everything
falls without sound.
Rocking chairs wear ruts
like the Oregon Trail acorss
front porches, in living rooms
with insomniac zombies
drunk on the late, late, late show.
November house on the road to nowhere
beckons with echoed chantings
and captivates fading consciousness
that comprehends
only a sinuous cycle of
death and life a single cry.
Winnowed minds gone amoebic
flinch dark flinch bright
to the shifting light of a mythic lie
and Carl Jung, a macabre-masked face,
dances around the pyre.
...Poem written as an undergraduate and heavily revised about six years later
Nothing Worth Mentioning
November house on the road to nowhere
its rusted sign for vacancy
a Northstar to compassless
young people chasing every nightmare
they never bothered mentioning.
Nine volt voices grow static
in the crackle snip snap darkness
while endlessly rehearsing
the first six verses of nothing
new under the sun.
Old people stare out of sightless
eyes at nothing--
well, nothing worth mentioning
in asphalt forests where everything
falls without sound.
Rocking chairs wear ruts
like the Oregon Trail acorss
front porches, in living rooms
with insomniac zombies
drunk on the late, late, late show.
November house on the road to nowhere
beckons with echoed chantings
and captivates fading consciousness
that comprehends
only a sinuous cycle of
death and life a single cry.
Winnowed minds gone amoebic
flinch dark flinch bright
to the shifting light of a mythic lie
and Carl Jung, a macabre-masked face,
dances around the pyre.
5.08.2004
Teen reading
We are planning to run a summer reading contest at our church library for kids and teens. We hope to increase use of the library through this event. To really do that, however, we need to have adequate materials for our young patrons to check out.
With the under 12 set, we have a pretty big collection, including some large series like Trailblazers, Sugar Creek Gang, Mandie, Heroes of the Faith. What concerns me is how little fiction we have for teens.
I don't want to fill the shelves with nothing but Christianized romance novels. I know we can reorganzie materials a little and point teens to some of the general fiction, which includes authors like George MacDonald, Stephen Lawhead, Walter Wangerin, Jan Karon, J.R.R. Tolkein and Charles Williams. Is there any other good fiction that's appropriate for 12-16 year olds that would be good to add to our collection?
I've begun compiling a list of books that kids could get from the public library that are not so explicitly Christian but still good. They include selected works from authors like Katherine Paterson and Madeline L'Engle. Suggestions for this list would also be appreciated.
We are planning to run a summer reading contest at our church library for kids and teens. We hope to increase use of the library through this event. To really do that, however, we need to have adequate materials for our young patrons to check out.
With the under 12 set, we have a pretty big collection, including some large series like Trailblazers, Sugar Creek Gang, Mandie, Heroes of the Faith. What concerns me is how little fiction we have for teens.
I don't want to fill the shelves with nothing but Christianized romance novels. I know we can reorganzie materials a little and point teens to some of the general fiction, which includes authors like George MacDonald, Stephen Lawhead, Walter Wangerin, Jan Karon, J.R.R. Tolkein and Charles Williams. Is there any other good fiction that's appropriate for 12-16 year olds that would be good to add to our collection?
I've begun compiling a list of books that kids could get from the public library that are not so explicitly Christian but still good. They include selected works from authors like Katherine Paterson and Madeline L'Engle. Suggestions for this list would also be appreciated.
5.03.2004
Choral life
Choir rehearsals have been much more intense lately. We're gearing up for our church's big 175th anniversary concert at the Kimmel Center on May 18.
One of the pieces we're singing was commissioned from Philadelphia composer Kile Smith, who has a pretty extensive repertoire of sacred music under his belt. Using Psalm 46 as the text, the piece has lots of syncopation and modernist harmonics--reminds me somewhat of Arvo Pärt. It splits into as many as 10 parts in places. Tough stuff to learn, but as we hammer out pitches and rhythms, it's really growing on me.
The concert itself is free, though all of the seats "sold out" months ago. Therefore, our director is opening the dress rehearsal to the public. If anyone is in or near the Philly area, you're welcome to come to Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center to hear us on Monday, May 17. I'll post the time as soon as I find out.
Choir rehearsals have been much more intense lately. We're gearing up for our church's big 175th anniversary concert at the Kimmel Center on May 18.
One of the pieces we're singing was commissioned from Philadelphia composer Kile Smith, who has a pretty extensive repertoire of sacred music under his belt. Using Psalm 46 as the text, the piece has lots of syncopation and modernist harmonics--reminds me somewhat of Arvo Pärt. It splits into as many as 10 parts in places. Tough stuff to learn, but as we hammer out pitches and rhythms, it's really growing on me.
The concert itself is free, though all of the seats "sold out" months ago. Therefore, our director is opening the dress rehearsal to the public. If anyone is in or near the Philly area, you're welcome to come to Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center to hear us on Monday, May 17. I'll post the time as soon as I find out.
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