Thursday, May 31, 2007

Are you Thinking About Homeschooling?

The guilt free homeschooling blog has a great article up right now about how to "test drive" homeschooling this summer. They have lots of good information for those starting to homeschool, or even those just considering homeschooling.

I really like the Thomas Jefferson education idea. I just found this site, but I haven't read it yet. But I did just order the second book, which followed this first book, which my friend loaned me a few years ago. And I look forward to reading that second book.

This summer, as I contemplate how school will be next year, I am envisioning the young men I'd like my boys to become. This helps me teach them the qualities and knowledge that will help them achieve that status as quality young men. This summer, I am teaching them chores and responsilibities. They are accepting it well, and taking the responsiblity for those parts of the home they are in charge of.

And on a related topic, here's a site I found that encourages summer break from school, as opposed to year-round school. This was interesting to me because when I first started homeschooling four years ago, I thought year round school would be better for us. But, I quickly realized some of the points mentioned on this site, such as 1) kids have other things they can learn during summer break that can't be learned in class time, and 2) when the weather is really hot, it actually is a lot harder to concentrate on schoolwork. It's also good to give mom some time to rest and to prepare for the coming year.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

The Weekend of Rest

What a restful weekend. We rested, had lots of quality family time, got some things done. It was wonderful. For one great morning this weekend, we all laid up in our master bedroom. Brian was creating scheduling and planning calendars on his computer, which is fun for him, the boys were playing internet games on my computer, and I was on the bed reading. It was heaven!

I got a bad ear infection this weekend. Sunday and Monday I just rested most of the time, it hurt too much for me to do anything. Then, Monday night I couldn't sleep because I couldn't get the pain level low enough for me to fall asleep. Yesterday, with the holiday over, I went to the doctor.

The doctor says I had an outer ear infection. I said, that’s good, right? Sounds like it’s not chronic, etc. She said, ya, it’s better in the long run. Still hurts plenty. So, it’s outer, meaning from the ear drum out, which explains why I’m all swollen around the neck, and the outer ear is very swollen and red, the teeth on that side won't touch each other, and the ear itself hurts the most. She gave me two kinds of ear drops. One is an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory, the other is an ear pain killer. I'm so happy to get them.

Today, just one day later, I feel so much better. I've also been on goldenseal for four days, so I'm sure that is helping as well. I actually got up and did some housework! I'm so happy.

Side note, Sam says that his stuffed dog Ryan is having a birthday today, and is turning 10. So when I'm done with this blog, I'll go to that "birthday party".

So, earache aside, it was still quite a wonderful weekend that I wanted to tell you about. I finished two books that I was reading, which always feels good. My kids and I got three straight days of Brian-time, which is invaluable! :-) He needed it too, because he was so tired at the beginning of the weekend. He slept half of Saturday. He finally started getting caught up on his sleep by Sunday.

We got to go to Sharper Image, which is a store that has served us well. Our Quadra air filter broke last week, and we found out that it was still covered by the warranty. So we brought it in to the store and got a free replacement. We were sure to get the warranty again. :-) Also, Brian wanted a table top fan, so we got a nice small tower fan. We've never had a tower fan before, but the technology on a basic fan has improved so much, it's a nice treat to see this fan. The other treat is that the fan, and the replacement air filter both have the new O3 to O2 converter. I didn't have that on my last filter. The filter generates O3, ozone, to clean the air, but the new converters on the fan and the filter convert ground level ozone to oxygen. So, to sum up, the air quality in my home is really improving. :-)

Literacy Note of the Day: It's possible that the new temple in Jerusalem could be built without destroying the Dome of the Rock mosque. This location could be it, as seen on this site. They have some really good arguments stating that the original location of the first and second temples in Jerusalem were not exactly where the Dome of the Rock is, but between the two mosques. I really like their reasonings, and the Western Wailing wall really makes a lot more sense this way. Look it up, fun stuff.

I also wanted to share with you that Alex keeps telling me how much he loves Summer Break, because there's no school, there's less work, and there's more free time to play. He's said it a lot, and I'm happy every time he says it. Not only because it means my son is happy, but because it also means that I worked him plenty hard during the school year. If he's noticing a huge relief in his life when school's out, then I'm doing my job in homeschooling. That's great to know!

Friday, May 25, 2007

Homeschooler Field Day

First, some fun pictures that the kids took themselves....

Here's a trick Sam has learned to do now that he's missing his center bottom teeth.

These are long bars and small squares used in math, to count tens and ones. Now that school's out, they're fair game for being toys! Here, Alex made a beautiful building with a tower, and three steady bars below to support the structure.

Today was Field Day with our local Homeschooler's Group. Here, Sam's gearing up for a great kick!

Alex, also with a great kick. Out of our little group of six kids, he won this distance kicking game both times it was played. Of course, I think most of the other kids were six years old, which is younger than Alex, but it was still a nice achievement for Alex.

Sam and other teammates having a great time.

Sam, far right, and Alex, center, preparing for the oncoming team.

This is a "before" picture we took of the group. We knew it would rain later, and the ground was already muddy, so we thought a nice picture of clean kids before they played would be a fun comparison. Sam is front, far left, white shirt. Alex is second row, one from the far left, with a green hat on, and looking to the side.

Here's one of the "after" pictures.
Alex is in the front, far left, with a red, white, and blue shirt, and the green hat. Sam, with his white shirt, is in the front, three from the right.
Another after picture. It was actively raining at this point, so the parents with the cameras had to stay under the awning to keep the cameras dry. Alex, front left. Sam, front, three from right.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Sunday was the First Day of the Rest of My Life

Health is worth more than learning.
Thomas Jefferson, letter to his cousin John Garland Jefferson, June 11, 1790

Last Sunday was the 15th Anniversary of the day Brian and I, and a lot of our other friends from that era, graduated high school. Yes, I celebrate the day. I celebrate every May 20th as the day I was finally free. The next day, May 21st, 1992, I went to a party at a friends house. I'll never forget that beautiful day. I was sprinkling outside, and cloudy, which is a beautiful treat in the desert. We all felt a new experience when we were resting and playing billiards when the school bus went by that afternoon, and for the first time in our memorable lives, we weren't breaking the law by not being on those buses. It was an amazing feeling, and I am still so grateful for it.

So, what happened last Sunday?... Last Sunday, Brian and I realized that my stress is too high, above my cortisol level (the level at which a body runs out of cortisol and switches to using adrenaline as an energy source), since my cortisol level is too low naturally. So, I’m used to running on adrenaline (epinephrine), which runs out quickly, makes you move too fast, makes you need caffeine, makes you upset because you’re always moving and staying awake with borrowed energy.

And, to be fair, Brian already knew, it's just that he finally convinced me. We both know that the one time I was the healthiest (meaning skinniest and ovulated) was a time in which I rested a lot: I read lots of books, rested more, took two naps a day, and was very happy while taking care of my oldest baby. Whatever it is that is backwards with me, it applies to this. We also know that I always gain weight when I take up a running or walking program, and we know, and my doctor confirms, that my diet makes no difference until we get this chemical imbalance under control.

With the addition of prescription cortisol, 20 mg Cortef, broken down to 3 or 4 doses a day, it is now, for the first time in my life, possible to keep myself in a place where I am running on cortisol and not running out of cortisol. It’s the opposite of diabetes. The trick now, then, is not only to take enough cortisol to sustain its purposes in life, such as keeping blood sugar up, providing energy to stay awake, providing the ability to handle stress in life, and stop the production of androgen-producing hormones. Too much cortisol is also not good, which is the condition that is experienced by most people with cortisol disorders (who are opposite of me). The first symptom with me is water gain, next the appetite gets a little above normal. When those start to happen, I lower the dose to 15 mg a day for a few days. Then, it will be noticed that energy levels and ability to handle normal stress decrease rapidly, at which point go back up to 20 mg a day.

Just taking supplemental cortisol is not enough for me: a mother of boys with high expectations on myself, who has lived on (and am used to living on) adrenaline and very low cortisol all of my life. So, the other change, in addition to taking cortisol, and making sure the diet stays appropriate, is to lower stress in my life. The more stressed I am, the more cortisol I will need, then I will switch to using adrenaline (not comfortable), and will no longer block ACTH (androgen) hormones.

The trick, then, is to keep my stress levels low – below the level at which the body switches from using cortisol to adrenaline as the energy source – and to have it remain in that state as much of the time as possible.

The more of the time I am running on cortisol, and not adrenaline, I’m not only calmer, happier, and a lot more fun to be with, but the more of the time that the androgenic hormones are being blocked from disproportionately taking over my body. It’s a tricky balance to find, cortisol levels change hour by hour in people who produce adequate amounts. So, I have to learn to balance stress, to relax, and to take my cortisol at the correct times during the day.

Medicines I am taking now: Cortef (cortisol) 20mg a day by prescription; billions of probiotics (in a capsule OTC), three times a day (to generate normal hunger, to allow normal digestion, and to minimize autistic features -- like cortisol, I also do not naturally produce anywhere near enough of these); 5-htp spray, 50 mg, twice a day (to convert excess dopamine to serotonin; progesterone cream, by prescription, twice a day from days 12 to 32 in my cycle. I also walk occasionally and do yoga stretching every night before bed. I also take Traditional Medicinal herbal teas as additional medicine as needed.

This staying-unstressed thing will be a big change in my life. I'm usually what would probably be considered an over-worker, and I think I was taking my own health in exchange. And, per Thomas Jefferson's quote above, as much as I love doing and building and learning, I need to put my health first by relaxing enough to allow my hormones to work correctly.

I know much of this doesn't apply to pretty much anyone else out there. I write these things because they are such important realizations to me that I don't want to forget them. So, note to self: remember that not only do I need to take cortisol to have enough cortisol, but I have to be sure to live in that cortisol-using place. Only then can I achieve my goals of having the best body for me. :-)


On this website, which explains CAH, there is a very good explanation that I thought I'd share with you here...

"Cortisol is a steroid produced by the adrenal glands that is needed for our bodies to deal with physical and emotional stress, and to maintain adequate energy supply and blood sugar levels. The adrenal glands are actually controlled by the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland is a small pea-shaped gland at the base of the brain. When the pituitary gland senses that there is not enough cortisol present in the bloodstream, it releases a hormone called ACTH (adrenocoricotrophic hormone). ACTH stimulates the adrenals to produce more cortisol. However, those with CAH have insufficient amounts of the enzyme 21-OHP needed to convert a precursor molecule called 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) into cortisol. As a result, the pituitary gland continues to sense the need for cortisol and pumps out more ACTH. This leads to an overabundance of 17-OHP, which is converted in the adrenals into excess androgens, masculinizing steroid hormones (see Figures 3 and 4). Lack of adequate cortisol also prevents the body from properly metabolizing sugar and responding to stress. The lack of this stress response can lead to drowsiness and possibly coma."


Also, here are some quotes from a website on Cortisol. The condition he's describing isn't the same as what I have, but parts of it explain me. So, I've taken out those parts and added them here to further explain what I'm referring to....

"In instances of major fatigue and anxiety the patients have reached a state of adrenal exhaustion which results in low cortisol. When this occurs there is no choice but to use our backup emergency hormone, adrenalin, for all the things are regulated by cortisol: energy, allergy and stress. Whenever your body calls on your adrenal gland and says, "we need some energy, send us some cortisol," your adrenal gland replies, "sorry girl, you’ve been out of cortisol...; but we'll send you what we've got plenty of... adrenalin."

"Adrenalin is designed for life-threatening EMERGENCIES. In previous ages it was only needed when you were attacked by raging wolves or tigers. It allows us to perform superhuman tasks required for survival. It's like rocket fuel.

"Furthermore, you use adrenalin for all the things for which you usually use cortisol. Adrenalin will get it done, but it is a very uncomfortable form of energy. Hard, brittle energy. Very tense for an hour and a half or two, then the bottom drops out as your [blood] sugar drops precipitously.

"So, then, we "drug" ourselves with some food or drink so we can feel better again. If we drink something ...(like a Coke or a cup of coffee) our body has a mild ... reaction and releases a dose of adrenalin. In moments we begin to feel better. More energy. More alert. Less shaky. This gives us a couple of hours of energy. Then the bottom falls out all over again. This means we will have seven or eight of these two hour excursions each day. Each adrenalin excursion is a little lower than the previous one. By the end of the day we are absolutely exhausted. Out of gas. It's over.

"Now your husband says, "Honey, let's go out and get a bite to eat and maybe take in a movie." You give him a withering look, plop down on the couch, put your feet up, click on the TV and reply, "Are you nuts? I'm beat! Let's order Chinese..”.. and you collapse in a heap. Or, you get home after work and you need a further jolt of adrenalin to deal with questions from the kids (and Dad) like “What’s for dinner? I’m hungry. Why can’t I have my own cell phone? …and so forth.

"If we are using adrenalin to run our daily lives, we are like someone who has had way too much coffee. They will eventually fall asleep, but they cannot sink deeply enough asleep to get REM (rapid eye movement) sleep or fourth level, restorative sleep. If we are over-adrenalized we cannot seem to catch up on our rest. In fact, the longer we sleep, the worse we feel.

"Now we have a new problem... chronic sleep deprivation. And you thought you were "jittery" before. So you get up feeling like you haven't had enough rest (and indeed you haven't) and what do you have to do? Put out a squirt of adrenalin to begin your day... And the pattern begins to repeat itself, day after day. --
All materials from this website are copyrighted by Russell Roby, J.D., M.D."

Saturday, May 19, 2007

References

Lots of stuff to go over today. Just changed the colors here on the blog. I like it!

I finished the book Apocolype 2012, that was fun. Some of it, of course, totally hookey, but some was fun, especially the geological references.

In the next week, I will finish Hawking's "The Universe in a Nutshell". I paused in reading it for several months there, partially because I was a lot busier at the beginning of the year, but also because it was getting boring, being a review of many physics theories that I was already familiar with. But, I just read a chapter about whether or not information is lost or spared when it enters a black hole. And the things that would be required for it to be spared, which involve p-branes releasing closed strings with the same or opposite wave pattern, was cool. So, I'm interested again. I was always interested, really, it's just that the first five or six chapters, and therefore physics theories, were ones that I was already familiar with -- and I wanted something new. Anyway, now I'm almost done with the book, so I'll finish that soon.

I'm starting to discover Flickr.com, and found this: very funny. He also has this one, which was also good. I'll have to look around more.

Yesterday, I got some well-deserved, and well-appreciated alone time, with which -- as always -- I went to a bookstore (amongst other fun things). But yes, every time they leave me alone, I'll be found in a bookstore, somewhere, silently gazing and quickly reading. Anyway, yesterday was no different. I had with me my long list of books I want to look at, critique, and possibly buy. Out of that list, I only found two of my candidates. Well, I found a third, unanticipated book, which was the Quotes of Thomas Jefferson. I loved it. Didn't buy it because of the price. But given how much I've been quoting it today, Brian has convinced me that I was wrong and should still go buy it. I'll have to add it to the list. :-)

I found a book that I started reading on vacation last winter. We stayed at a Bed & Breakfast with a great library, and I read part of "The Summons" by John Grisham. I hadn't read him before that. I fould a highly discounted edition of that book, so I got that and have begun reading it as well. I like the references to flying a Cessna (small airplane), because I know all about how to do that. I fly Cessnas all the time on flight simulator, and I've flown one for real once, back when I lived in Tucson. It's like with the French language I'm learning, I like understading the references that are made in French in movies and books.

Speaking of which, the other book I got was "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Learning French". The other books I have on French are mostly dictionaries, so I wanted something more. This book looks great.

I saw another book there, that I didn't get, but which had a topic that has interested me all day. It was new, called "Wikinomics", and is about how mass collaboration is changing things. I am fascinated with this mass colaboration. I love wiki, blogs, and youtube, and want to know more. So, that might get added to the list as well.

Mostly, for me, I want to know a way of making my blog and/or my online book a more mass-influenced device. Lots of feedback, lots of opinions flying, lots of great input. All of which going both ways. I'm still working on the vision of it. :-)

The rest of the current book list is as follows:

Introduction to Craniosacral Therapy: Anatomy, Function, and Treatment, Don Cohen

Declaration of Independence (Document), Fine Art Print, 13.75x15.75

State of Fear, Michael Crichton

The Greek & Latin Roots of English, Tamara M. Green

Our Greek and Latin Roots, James Morwood

The Complete Home Learning Source Book: The Essential Resource Guide for Homeschoolers, Parents, and Educators Covering Every Subject from Arithmetic to Zoology, Rebecca Rupp

A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-first Century, Oliver Van DeMille (already read it, borrowed it from a friend, but it was so good I want my own copy)

Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self, Sandra Ingerman (also already read, borrowed from a library)

The Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas: 500+ Fun and Creative Learning Activities for Kids Ages 3-12, Linda Dobson

Madison World Globe, CRAM

Learn to Read New Testament Greek, David Alan Black

Eventually, and just for fun, I want to get some Antique Maps for the Libaray.

Also......
For those of you who would like to keep up with the articles on my other site, there are 4 new entries since the page's inception:

Curriculum to be Mastered for 2007-2008 (Kindergarten and 2nd Grade) NEW! & UPDATED!

Curriculum to be Mastered for 2006-2007 (Preschool and 1st Grade) NEW!

What I've Learned From My Recent Calling NEW!

Unassisted Homebirth Questionnaire Answers NEW!

The first two are our school lists of things to learn, both the new lists for the upcoming year, and last year's list.
The "calling" article I was asked to write, so I hope I did it justice.
The "questionnaire" I filled out for a friend. Then, another friend asked me all the same questions, and I realized the information might be of interest to others, so I added it to the canon.


Now I'll go. Just as last Saturday, I got to organize my book collection, today, Brian gets to organize his DVD collection, and I told him I'd support him and be with him while he does that. It's time.

Thanks to Rush Limbaugh for the most interesting week in broadcasting.
Thanks to my Dad for his great online radio program -- always enjoyable.
Thanks to Kevin, my brother, for giving us "Hi, my name is Mike, and I'm a kangaroo!" So great -- that's exactly how it sounds. :-)
Thanks to Kim, my sister, for all the sweet words (and the more that will come when her phone line gets fixed.)
Thanks to Anna for staying a record 5 hours at my house the other day, the best time my kids and I have had with friends over because you stayed so long. It really meant a lot to us, and we're so grateful you could stay so long. I love your kids, and I love the conversations we have.
Thanks to Brittany -- for everything!
Thanks to Kasey, for always making me think my opinion is worth something. How you keep up the deception I'll never know! hehe.
And thanks to my husband Brian, for listening to all my ideas, and for taking the kids to Sea World without me yesterday!

I love you all.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Home Library!

It's finished! We have succeeded in one of my life goals: creating a home library. I'm so... tired, but I'm so excited too! The real surprise to me is that we really filled those shelves. I thought with four tall bookcases, we'd surely have more space. However, Brian said it was as he expected. I guess we really did have a lot of books. Anyway, it worked out beautifully. :-)

This is a picture from this morning. First, we went downtown to pick up the bookcases from The Bookcase Store downtown, then brought them home and carried them upstairs. Here, they are in place and half filled.

Here's the other side of the room at the same time.

Finished! Here are the three new bookcases. This is the left side of the loft. By the way, this is all in the loft, which is an open area at the top of our staircase.


Here is the other side of the room, with the fourth, original and newly stained, bookcase. Also, you can see Brian decided to add the electronic piano to the library.

Here's a view from the top of the staircase, so you can see the center of the room.
Another view of the whole room. So beautiful. That's Sam's "quarter map" on top of the bookcase on the right. He has a map that you can put the state quarters in as they are collected.

Here, and below, are some close-up highlights.

Part of the children's book area.

Here you can see the hawaiian seashell on lava rock that my father gave me and the statues of two sisters that my sister gave me. I'm so glad to finally have a place to display these.

More kids books. Here, there is a toy ant next to a book about bugs. Brian loved this part.

A side view of the new bookcases.
What a wonderful day.

Also, I wanted to let you know, for those of you who were waiting for it, that I've almost finished the Curriculum List of things to be acheived in homeschool next year. It can be found on my Online Book site. The lists (one for each child and their school year) aren't exactly finished, I want to tweak them a little still, but they're really close. You'll see the changes when they're done. I also put up last year's lists as a reference in case you wanted to see that as well. Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

What I'd Like to Talk About

Today I'm going to do the opposite of what Rush Limbaugh does on Open Line Fridays. On Open Line Friday, the rule is as follows: "Monday through Thursday, we talk about what I [Rush] want to talk about, but on Friday I take the biggest risk in broadcast media by letting you, who are rank amateurs, talk about what you are interested in." It's a very funny bit. And there are many times in which I talk about and write about what you want to hear.

So, today, I was thinking, we're going to talk about what I'd like to talk about. :-)

It's a great day, and for so many little reasons. I wasn't going to earlier today, but then I decided I would, tell you all the little reasons why things are going so well.

First of all, I'm still not Primary President. Don't get me wrong, I loved it at the time, but I agree with them and feel like it's just not time now anymore. So, I'm happy to move on to other things. For example, I'm doing all of my Visiting Teaching now, and I'm voluntarily attending social events with my friends. What a comeback!

Alex and Sam officially graduated from their respective homeschool grades. Alex today, and Sam last week. This will make our days a little more carefree, because it allows me to allow the kids to play and rest more often. We will still be doing history, reading, and some computer learning over the summer, but the quantity of daily learning, and the time devoted to it, is much decreased over the summer break, so we're all looking forward to that.

The next thing I'm grateful for, and that makes me so happy right now, is that somehow, meaning purely by the grace of God, I've essentially figured out how to treat every physical ailment I have, and have had all my life, in the past year. My hips and legs were sore this weekend, which is rare lately because I now have custom shoe insert orthotics which turn my twisted foot and usually fixes the soreness. This weekend, I was able to solve the extra soreness with a massage and by putting on my ankle brace for a few days. I'm so grateful I have these things. I no longer care about wearing that brace when needed because it works, just like the doctor said it would. :-) Two, on my physical health list, I actually ovulated last month. This is a miracle. I don't ovulate without medicine, so this means that the new medicine I started, Cortisol, is in fact what I was low on all of my life, due to a genetic defect I was apparently born with. I'm so happy to have figured this out. I'm feeling so much healthier on this medicine! And third, for the Asperger's, I've found, just in the past week, some great probiotics which are really helping. I figure it's like the Cortisol thing, I just don't naturally make enough, so I need to supplement with more to reach normal levels. It's the same with probiotics, I just don't make enough of those either. But when I take extras, my digestive system is incredibly normal, and my Autism is largely decreased. By that I mean that my brain still thinks the way my brain thinks, but any social fears I had due to it are decreased and almost normalized. Perfect! I have to take the Cortisol and the Probiotics 3x a day, so I've got them in a little case I keep with me. Between that and my feet-fixers... wow! Such a small price to pay for such health! I'm so happy! My mom used to tell me that we get sick so that we know to be grateful when we are healthy, and I'm there Mom!!! I will never ever forget how much I appreciate these problems being minimized in my life!

Oh, also, for the past week and a half, my head and neck and jaw have really hurt. The whole family had it, whatever it was. I got it the worst. Maybe it's a sinus infection from the high mold count right now. I jokingly called it hydroencephalitis. (Even though I know that disease is not a joke. Anything that hurts babies is awful.) But, just from a lexicographic point of view, the word means water - brain. And what I had was fluid in the wrong parts of my head and neck, so, it seemed to fit. I was doing Cranial Sacral Therapy on myself nightly, the CSF was just stuck and wouldn't move around like it should. Thankfully, after a wonderful massage from my wonderful massage therapist and good friend, Leanne, and more work from Brian a few days later, and waiting another almost a week, I'm finally back to normal. So, now, I also appreciate not having a headache and a jaw ache every day! :-)

By the way, Leanne is great, and very low priced, especially for what she does. I highly recommend her work! I've already referred three people to her. I probably shouldn't broadcast her contact info here, but I'd be happy to give any of you her contact info and pricing and other details, just email me.

Also, I'm happy because, and I'll just summarize here, but I have the best kids, and the best husband!!! I love them so much.

Also good: I saw an episode of Stargate:Atlantis yesterday, called the Tao of Rodney, that just really made me happy. I think the Rodney character is a really fun and engaging character, and the actor David Hewlett is very humorous, so to watch a whole episode focused on him and his abilities and shortcomings really made my day. :-)

Speaking of which, I'm glad NCIS went back to its normal format last week. The week before was a whole Director-based episode, all about her anger and obsession, and I don't like her anyway (the Director), and there was almost no Abby and McGee screen time. It was awful. I was about to boycott the thing, but then last week's episode, which included John Billingsley, who I really like, salvaged the show. That's something that would really make the world a better place: more shows with John Billingsley and Pauley Perrette both in them.

Oh, and here's a video I found this week. It's a bunch of Abby clips from NCIS (who I like, and who I dressed up as for Halloween a year or two back), but the cool part is that the song to the video is from Pauley's band, and she's the lead singer. So, it's nice to mix a part of Pauley with Abby. Plus, it's just really a good song. I should look into her group and see if it's all good stuff.



I've also been listening to more radio the past few days. Whenever radio gets low on good stuff, or when I buy new MP3s, I tend to listen to just my MP3 player a lot, and little or no radio. I've been doing this for months. But after visiting my friend's wife's site, and hearing some other great music that is out there, I remembered how much I like new music. She has Linkin Park, 30 Seconds to Mars, and 3 Days Grace on there, and I'm so grateful, because I didn't know the artists or names to those songs, and now I can hear them more often and maybe buy the MP3s to them. I'm also loving 101X, the radio station, so, basically, I'm just happy I have great music to listen to.

I also have great talk radio to listen to. After a two year hiatus, I finally splurged and bought myself a subscription to Rush Limbaugh's 24/7 again. This means I can access his website to download and listen to his show whenever. This is really great for me, because I love his show, but I'm usually not free during the hours it's on, due to mothering and homeschooling. Now, I can listen in the afternoon, when school is over. I've really enjoyed this past week getting caught up in things again.

I'm working hard right now to get my kids more kids to play with. But I have lots of friends, and they have lots of kids, so I'm very optimistic we'll create some good kid friendships and they can get all their boy-play-fun accomplished. So, if I know you, and your kids are bored too, and especially if their ages and gender match my kids, let's get together!

Now, allow me to pause for a movie review. Last Friday, I went to see a movie, and no, it wasn't Spiderman 3. And yes, I was the only person at the theatre who went to see a movie other than Spiderman. hehe :-) But seriously, the place was very busy and full of awaiting Spiderman fans, it was rather exciting. I went to see the movie Next. It's a Nicolas Cage movie, and I'm a long time and devoted Nicolas Cage fan. Since 1996. However, he's a funny nut to crack, and a person such as myself who tries to avoid rated R movies, and, well, crazy movies, doesn't get a lot of Nicolas Cage movies to choose from. I see about every third or fourth movie he makes. Which is too bad, really, considering he's the only Motion Picture actor who I like and whose career I follow. [Warning: Movie Spoilers coming now...] Anyway, parts of the movie were good; I always enjoy good time-warping shows. His wife had a cameo which was cool, and they showed the waterfall on the Havasupai reservation that he tried to take her to on their first date. All very nice, but rather irrelevant to the movie. This brings me to the first problem: the huge plot holes. I've seen Coronal Holes in the sun this past week that approximated the size of these plot holes. At first, I was calling the movie highly tenuous (in my mind as I watched it), but by the end it was apparent that there weren't even strings of dental floss holding that script together. The other problem, and I hate to be so blunt to a movie that gave us a few fun moments of time manipulation, but, you know that "surprise ending" the promos were touting? I'll tell you what the surprise ending was --- surprise, there is no ending!!! I kid you not. I had to go home and read reviews from Rotten Tomatoes to console myself from being gipped of a movie-going experience. Turns out everyone felt gipped. And the screening audiences did the same thing that happened in my theatre at the end of the movie: they yelled at the screen in disbelief!

The movie was only 90 minutes long, and they never solved anything. Unless the point of the movie was to keep the girl safe, then, I grant you, that was solved. But, with her out of the picture, it's clear that Cris will never avert the disaster because he's back to his 2 minutes of forewarning. The problem will never be prevented. Not to mention, who are the bad guys? I mean really, The Rock had some real bad guys. Well, good guys that turned bad, you know, but it was a whole lot more believable. So, the end of the movie was nothing, completely open ended, I have never seen a movie suck so badly that they actually denied us any ending at all. A plot, no matter how tenuous, should at least have an ending, some semblance of resolution. Adaptation, which I really liked, had an ending. It was a made up ending, but that was the point, that it was made up, that it was okay to be pretend because at least it was an ending. And that made it a great ending. Let's get more of that.

Back to my life. The bookshelves for my library should be ready this weekend! I'm very excited. More on that in previous posts, and there will be more in the coming days.

Also, we've had lots of rain lately. This is wonderful, because I like shady and cool. I also like wet. However, we've had lots of wet, so the bugs and the weeds are feeling that they have free reign to terrorize Austin. But, the flowers are absolutely beautiful. There are some pictures of them in the blog below this one. The beauty of this problem is that today I had to run lots of errands, which is great because I love my new car that we bought this winter. It is freedom for me. The kids get to watch a movie, so I essentially get time alone for a while, and I can listen to fun music, and most especially today, the first of the hot and humid days, turns out my air conditioner in the car works great!

So, I'm basically entering a place in my life where I'm a little more caught up on things, and can slow down a little, and there's great music, and radio, and tv, and my car is great, and my health has much promise for improvement, and my family is great. And I'm happy. I appreciate how hard these things are to come by, and I know they can be fleeting, and I don't care. I'm just so happy for the upcoming break!

Have a great night.

Alex Graduated 1st Grade! ...and garden pictures

Congratulations Alexander!! He just finished his year's worth of work and graduated 1st Grade!!!

Alex and Sam both celebrated today!

Here, and below, are some pictures I took from our garden and backyard this morning. Our wildflower garden patch is starting to flower, and it looks great!

Here's a great bumblebee that we saw visiting our flowers.

Butterflies were there as well. It's quite an amazing butterfly week here in Texas, they're everywhere!

Last Saturday Brian and our neighbor finished getting this section of fence back up. We've had a hole here for about two months. Now, hopefully, bats will come and live in the new bat house attached to the fence post here (although, truthfully, I think it's too late in the year, and we may have to wait until next Spring).

Baby oranges are starting to grow...

.... and baby peaches ...

... and baby apples!!!

Our bookshelves should be ready for pickup this weekend, so I'm getting ready. This bookshelf seen edge on is the one I'm going to stain a darker color this week, to match the new ones that are coming. I just moved it out of my bedroom last night. The bookshelf on the left we don't know what we're going to do with, maybe put it in a boy's room... but all of those books will need to be moved to the new shelves.
The blue mopping bucket in the center of the photo has my small display items, mostly shells and rocks, and also shells and rocks from family members (they know me well). :-)

Also, you can see on the floor here about two bookshelves worth of books, that we had to put on the floor as we prepare for the shelves. So, if you wanted to bring your toddlers to my house to play, we'd love to have you, but... I'll have to ask you to wait until next week! :-)

And finally, here's a great picture of a weekend nap that Sam and Papa took. Alex tried to get in on the fun as well, but was enjoying himself too much to fein sleep.

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Sam Graduated! .. & the Boys Went Camping

We're happy to announce that Samuel Ryan graduated Preschool today!


We had our usual end of the year celebration, including a lot of excitement, screams, hugs, jumping on the bed, and making of graduation certificates. This was Sam's first year to graduate anything, so it was a wonderful first for our family. This marks the end of two years of Preschool. Now he's ready for homeschool Kindergarten.

Alex got in on the action this time as well by making his own graduation certificate for Sam. It says, in case you can't make it out: "SAM graduated preschool". I love it! When writing it, Alex made sure that even though he was doing it for fun (and it was his idea), that it would count as his handwriting assignment for school today. And it did. :-)

Now, Sam will hang out for about 2-3 weeks while Alex finishes 1st grade. Then, we'll have another celebration, and start the next year of homeschooling!

For your treat, here are some pictures from the boys' camping trip last weekend.
I don't know what this is about, but when they came back home, my camera had this picture on it with Sam carrying a stick in his mouth. Boys!


At the campsite.


Crossing a bridge they found along a hiking trail.



Looks like they had a great time!

What I’ve Learned from My Recent Calling

Now that I’m finished with my last church calling, which was to be the Primary President of the ward, I realize I learned a lot in that position, and as a counselor to the same organization. I am indeed a changed, and improved person.

The first thing I endured was the president telling me, as a new counselor, how to dress. Other leaders I talked to about this said that the President had the final word on most matters, it’s her organization. Changing my dress was hard on me, but I allowed it and voluntarily followed the charge because I had a feeling that my manner of Sunday dress could use some improvement, so I took the opportunity of that pressure to force myself to improve in that area. Next, I employed organization. I compiled all the information we had to work with, and copied it all in triplicate, so that each member of the presidency would have their own copy. I learned that not everyone keeps paper records of things, and furthermore that if I did not provide them with their own copies of how-to sheets, that they would not ask for them. In doing this, I also learned that specialization can and should occur in presidencies. We each had things we were over, and in charge of. For example, even though I was the 2nd counselor, lowest in rank, I was clearly the one out of the three of us who would be keeping the written records and producing the lists of what needed to be done.

I learned that meetings have a leader. The leader leads the meeting, and reserves the right to tell how it is at that meeting, but that the leader does not always know what is going on in every department of the organization. Nor does she need to. That’s why there are three of you. I learned that a three-legged stool really is a good representation of a three-person church presidency. That there are many cases, and it can easily and repeatedly happen where one person eases off and doesn’t pull the workload of the other two. Also, that when that happens, there is really nothing the other two can do about it. Motivational speeches are lost in this case, they annoy the person, and don’t change the fact that they are free to choose when and how much they will serve.

One large overall lesson I learned, as the various presidencies I participated in served, taught, and met, was that every one does things their own way. This is rather obvious, I would imagine. But I hadn’t envisioned all the results of this truth. We each had to teach lessons, but each lesson was different, and that was okay, we were all following the general instructions in our own way. It turned out that there was a lot of leeway allowed for while still maintaining the proper execution of our duties.

After a year or so in these callings, I finally realized how to apply this knowledge to my benefit. Not only could I allow those I work with to do things in their own way, but I applied it to myself and began allowing myself to run meetings, teach lessons, and organize activities my way as well, when those things were mine to decide.

I learned a lot about how the organization of the church works. I know that while callings are, indeed, entirely inspired and come from revelation from God, that the human being offered the calling has many options. When I was young, I thought when you were offered a calling, the possible answers were yes or no. Then, I was taught that the only answer is yes. But, after having been involved in the calling of probably 30 or more people, I see that there are many possibilities. Mostly, I’ve seen that it is, in fact, appropriate to tell your priesthood leaders when you are having troubles in your life that make it hard for you to do your calling. Not to complain all the time, but that there are times when they need that information, and it’s easier for them to get it from you then for them to have to pray about every member in the ward, just in case! They can then take that information to the Lord and learn what to do about it. But there’s nothing wrong with them knowing what’s best for you. Other possibilities in calling serving allow for illnesses, vacations, and school and work time conflicts. All of these things may be discussed with a priesthood leader when accepting, serving in, or at the end of a calling in the ward. Also, there are times when it might even be appropriate, if and when motivated by the Spirit of the Lord, to request more or less work. Sometimes it matters that you do certain work, but sometimes it just matters that you do any work. I’m sure it changes back and forth throughout a person’s life.

The best allowance, and probably the most common thing that happens, is that a person, can, in times of family crisis, have a period of lower duties while still retaining the current calling. This appears to be the best way to work things out, when possible, instead of suffering for long periods of time needlessly or asking to get released from service and the blessings thereof. I didn’t know this before, and as we had family struggles during times of heavy callings, we suffered, so then I felt very trapped by callings. Now I know that one lesson in having callings that can be learned is that each person needs to find the balance between standing up for your self and serving. Serving is wonderful, whereas serving blindly is very much not something Brian and I recommend.

I’ve witnessed how the Spirit of the Lord can somehow make it possible for a person to go from just knowing 80 children, to knowing them personally, caring for them as an individual, and loving them, probably with the love of Christ. There’s just no other means by which a person can suddenly love that many kids, but I did. I knew each of them very well, and would’ve stretched myself, and did sometimes, if I knew it could help them. This alone was quite a great evidence to me of the divinity of callings in the church.

I also learned many great administrative things. I learned how to be President, meaning what the difference is between President and Counselors. The difference, which took me over a year to learn, is this: counselors counsel, they give advice, they carry out assigned duties; presidents also offer suggestions to the group, and they also carry out duties (though usually self-assigned), but when it comes down to it, the president makes the final decision. Often, this final step may not be required, there may be a consensus without it. However, a counselor should never do something that the president disagrees with. To my regret, I did not learn in time how to execute that lesson.

Presidents, in fact, probably should and usually do a lot more officiating, instructing, and decision making than I actually did, since I don’t do these things naturally. My deficiencies in that area caused me many problems, with 2 of my 5 eventual counselors over the whole time in my presidency effectively defecting – no longer working under me as if I were President. I have many faults, and telling others what to do is surely high on the list of things I don’t do well. I’m just grateful that some time will pass now before I am placed in a position like that again. Hopefully I can grow, and develop those skills more.

I am not at all a person who likes to lead large groups. Small groups and unofficially, maybe, but nothing grand. Agreeing with everyone else that I was the leader of an organization with 80 children and about 30 adults in it was definitely something I would not naturally do. I did it to serve God, as a favor to him. Not once did I ever try to deceive myself into believing that I was worthy of such a role or that I could pull off such duties without help from the Lord and his caring angels.

This brings my summary to a close. There are of course, many tiny, subtle, things I learned, but I probably couldn’t pull those specifics out of my head very well. Suffice it to say that it was a huge job, with huge lessons learned. Brian and I have decided that callings are an opportunity to be stretched, then relaxed, like a rubber band. Growing more malleable, more flexible, and more able with each pull. In the end, the benefits of the work done in each calling is our own, for we can use our new skills for our benefit for the rest of our lives.