Really? arts? Forget ballet, classical music, and fine masterworks sculpture. We want happy metal pigs with springy legs!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Did I just see that?
A screenshot snip from the Salt Lake Tribune's online edition:
Really? arts? Forget ballet, classical music, and fine masterworks sculpture. We want happy metal pigs with springy legs!
Really? arts? Forget ballet, classical music, and fine masterworks sculpture. We want happy metal pigs with springy legs!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Did I just read that?
"She was arrested three months after her otherwise healthy 6-week-old daughter, Mirabelle Thao-Lo, was found dead in the family home on March 17."
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/06/21/calif-mom-arrested-after-baby-dies-in-microwave/#ixzz1PzsJkqnZ
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/06/21/calif-mom-arrested-after-baby-dies-in-microwave/#ixzz1PzsJkqnZ
Otherwise healthy...except she's dead.
I guess dead _might_ be considered a state of health. Somewhere.
Weatherization done!
Furnace? Thanks!
Fridge? Thanks!
Storm windows? Thanks!
New insulation? Thanks!
Shower head? Put in the wrong shower, but I fixed that easily enough, so Thanks!
Weather stripping on doors? They did the wrong one. Waste of resources and now I have to move it to the right door, but that shouldn't be too hard, so Thanks!
Visit from social services regarding our children? NO THANKS!
And, quite frankly, I'd have gone without all the others if I had known they'd turn us in to social services to for allowing our children to sleep during they day when they don't sleep during the night.
Fortunately, the social worker could see that the charges against us were completely unfounded. But STILL!
Fridge? Thanks!
Storm windows? Thanks!
New insulation? Thanks!
Shower head? Put in the wrong shower, but I fixed that easily enough, so Thanks!
Weather stripping on doors? They did the wrong one. Waste of resources and now I have to move it to the right door, but that shouldn't be too hard, so Thanks!
Visit from social services regarding our children? NO THANKS!
And, quite frankly, I'd have gone without all the others if I had known they'd turn us in to social services to for allowing our children to sleep during they day when they don't sleep during the night.
Fortunately, the social worker could see that the charges against us were completely unfounded. But STILL!
Did I just read that?
"Duchesne man upset over broken window charged with murder" http://www.ksl.com/?nid=960&sid=16067307
I'd be upset if my window were charged with murder, too. Windows are one of the LAST things I'd want to become sentient. Windows and toilets.....
Sunday, June 19, 2011
How I make a curriculum:
I'm working on a preschool music curriculum right now to post on Learning Lynx Classroom, and I thought I'd make a few notes about how I do it so other people can DIY schooling, too.
First, I always answer the question: What does learning this subject, in general and on all levels, encompass? Learning music encompasses learning how to produce music, the technology of music (both instruments and computers/recording), the theory behind how the sounds are strung together, and music in our culture (both folk and formal).
Then, considering my own child's ability level, I ask myself, "What do I want this child to ultimately be able to do/know in this subject?" Ultimately, I want Nathanael and Benji (my current preschoolers) to be comfortable with music in general; I want them to be able to make music somehow (instrument, voice, whatever), I want them to have a solid foundation in "music you should know" (folk and formal), and I want them to know enough to be able to connect with their dad on his career. If my answer to this question was, "I want them to become concert pianists, and they have the aptitude," then that would obviously direct my efforts. Since the answer is, "I want them to have broad exposure to music and know enough to know if they want to pursue it further themselves," then a broad music education is what I'm after.
I decided that the best approach for my kids is to engage them in noticing sounds, playing with "music" online, give them a brief introduction to instruments, and get them singing. Since I want my kids to learn the foundational music "literature" that will make them culturally integrated, I decided to focus the first year of preschool on nursery rhymes and the second year of preschool on children's folk songs. To be culturally literature, you really need to be familiar with the words and tunes of nursery rhymes and certain well-known folk songs. Plus, nursery rhymes and folk songs have words and melodies that are easy to remember and fun to sing--they are both catchy and "sticky," so it would be an easy way to get my own kids singing. On top of that, folk songs don't need to be sung with fancy soundtracks, syncopated drum sounds, or jazzy dance moves. (Ever try to sing one of those el. ed. music "pop songs" they teach kids in school? The melodies are "simplified" and usually both ugly and forgettable, the words are either propagandist, sterilized, or dull, and the songs sound terrible without their "rock star" synthesized tracks. That makes them useless to me.) Songs that are "designed" to teach a certain concept are not nearly as effective at getting music into kids' souls as folk songs. I could go on, but you get the idea.
The final step, then is to find materials that are age-appropriate, educationally sound, and engaging. The ideal is to have the lesson be so interesting that the child does further exploration on their own. Because I am homeschooling six kids, I really don't want to spend all day sitting with each child one-on-one teaching them their lessons. I want the computer to do that, with me there as the tutor and learning coach. So the rule for materials is I have to have a distinct URL to the individual activities (so 100% Flash-based sites like Melody Street are useless to me, despite the fact that they are engaging, colorful, musically and educationally sound), and the activities have to be child-ready (not, therefore, lesson plans). They can be interactives, videos, e-books, printables, websites to explore, etc. But they have to be child-navigable and child-ready. Unlike some educational materials libraries, I don't exclude pages with ads on them, or pages that require a log in. But I do insist that all materials are 100% free, and I have had to teach my kids NOT to click on ads. Also, the pages have to load quickly, or the preschoolers click on to something else and miss the activity. 1 year olds aren't known for their patience! Finally, the activities have to be an appropriate length. While a 4th grader can handle a half-hour activity, preschoolers really do better with things that take 2-10 minutes--usually closer to 2.
A quick google search of "children's folk songs" gives you TONS of lyrics, and some bad midi tracks, but nothing terribly interesting--well, very little that is useful to kids "out of the box" (like this: http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/NCFR/NCFR.html . Great site, useless to set my preschooler free on). And most online music activities are too advanced for preschool age, so I decided to go with videos.
My first awkward steps into finding materials had me using the search box on YouTube for the words "nursery rhymes." No good. If you understand how search engines work and you understand the basics of cloud mentality, you realize people don't name their songs "nursery rhyme: Jack and Jill." Nor do they usually use the phrase "nursery rhymes" in the notes on videos.
I have since learned to do a google search for a list of songs, and then search YouTube for the individual song titles. Then I watch video after video, searching for the one that I think will be most effective at teaching my kids the songs.
If I already know the song, I am looking for the version I know or learned as a child (because I don't want to hear, "Mom! You're singing it wrong!" when I try to pass my own folk culture on to my kids). I am also looking for a good performance (nothing spoils a song faster than a bad performance) and a good recording of it (cell phone videos of live concerts don't cut it). Generally speaking, I prefer a video that is engaging visually, too: a cartoon, a puppet performance, a live performance that is filmed well and child-friendly, or even a slide show if necessary. Some of the best performances on YouTube are accompanied by a single static shot of a record cover. Not interesting to preschoolers!
Then, before I copy the link, I check the recommended videos on the side to make sure it's okay if the kids click on those videos (since they tend to while I'm in the bathroom or changing a diaper). Just today I had to eliminate most of the version of "Oh Susanna" I found because the recommended videos on the side bar included a hip-hop version with scantily clad European girls dancing and a video whose image was of six nude women in the '40s. I didn't even click on that one, so I have no idea what it actually was, but I certainly don't want Benji to find out for me while I'm answering the phone or helping someone with long division!
Then I copy the URL into my spreadsheet. I actually used Google Docs Forms to make an online worksheet I fill out (it speeds things up) that lets me copy the url in, type a quick description (this is useful while I'm sorting the materials and also if I find one of the links is dead later on--I can go find a different video with the same content), and then click boxes for subject area, grade level (because I often find something that is great for my 2nd grader, or fits perfectly with what the Kindie will be learning), and the type of material it is (interactive, video, e-book, etc.)--this helps me get a variety of materials, and also helps me when I'm sorting the links later.
Once I've collected all the materials I want to include for the year, I open the spreadsheet that the form has been saving everything onto for me. I sort first by grade and copy the non-preschool materials onto other, grade-level-specific spreadsheets to deal with later. Then I sort by subject area (to eliminate things I found that belong in, say, science or art). Then I copy the music activities to a different spreadsheet to make it easier to sort and re-sort without mixing in the art or science activities.
When I type the description of each link, I try to use Tags (like "Folk song: Handclapping chant: Miss Mary Mack" or "Folk Song: Oh Susanna". That way, when I go to sort the links into the order I want the kids to learn them, it's a lot easier. First I sort (using the spreadsheet program's sort function) by the description column. That puts all the activities with the same tags in blocks. Then I add numbers to the description box, before the tags if I want the activities scattered throughout the curriculum or after the tags if I want all activities with similar tags taught in a cluster. For example, if I want my child to do all five activities on the violin five days in a row, I would number them to show up in a cluster (either by giving them the same number before the tag or by numbering them in the order I want them done after the tag). If I want them to do one activity on the violin, then one on the cello, then one on the bass drum, etc. and then come back to the violin after they've covered all the other instruments, I would number the violin activities 1-5 before the tag, and number all the other instrument activities in the same way. Then I use the sort function.
I keep sorting, re-labeling, sorting, and fine-tuning (sometimes by copy-and-paste) until I am satisfied that every single activity is in the place in the curriculum where it will have the greatest educational impact. With music this is really easy because it doesn't really matter what order they hear the folk songs, so it goes really fast. Science activities are painstakingly slow, as are history and math (and most subjects, actually, except art and music) because every single activity is best done in a certain single spot in the curriculum, and I have to dig through everything and make sure it's just right to maximize the learning and minimize the stress on the kids. Concepts should flow, one to the next, building upon each other with little strain on the child's brain, so that learning is natural, fun, and easy.
When I am satisfied that the lessons are in order, I copy the data from the "work" spreadsheet onto a permanent, in-order grade level spreadsheet.
Then I copy JUST the links to a google doc, keeping them in order. This makes it easier for me to cut-and-paste them into the website I've created as an interface for my kids. You could just have your kids work from a list. Or you could enter the links into "The Head of the Class" using their customize curriculum option, and then they keep records for you and also have a fantastic interface for the kids to access the lessons with no confusion--it automatically moves the kid to the next lesson on the list. The other advantage of The Head of the Class is they will distribute the topics for you, eliminating the need for the next step.
Using the spreadsheet, I then find out how many activity links I have. I have my kids on a 180-day school year, and I want the links spread evenly throughout the year.
Then I have to do the math. Since math is not a native skill for me, I just muddle through. I can't explain exactly how I do it. It has something to do with the fact that it doesn't matter if you divide the number of days by the number of activities or the other way around, as long as you look at it right, and also with discovering how many are left over and how often you need an extra day (like we have music alternating every 3rd and 4th days, or we have math every day with two activities on every sixth day). If you really need to know, I'm sure I could figure out some instructions. The easy way, though, is to use "distribute topics" under "Customize curriculum" on The Head of the Class website.
So once I figure out how often I need a particular subject, I plug the icons into the website (or delete extras from the template I made--whatever works), assign the links to the icons, and we're good to go.
It's a lot of work, actually.
Good thing I enjoy it.
Note on the math:
I ended up with 145 music activities. That means I have to skip 35 days, evenly spread over the whole year, but otherwise have music every day. To evenly distribute the missed days, first I divided 145/180. That equaled .80, which is the same as 8/10, which is the same as 4/5. That means I put music activities on 4 of every 5 days, or, in other words, I skip every fifth day.
To check my math, I divided 35/180, which equals .19. This is almost .20, which is the same as 1/5, or one out of every five. .20 plus .80 equals 1.00, or 100%, so that means I did the numbers right. I'm never sure, though until I start plugging it all in. So far, it's worked every time!
I've worked out some hints for myself, so I don't have to muddle through every time:
36 items means 1 every 5th day; 45 items means 1 every 4th day; 60 items is one every 3rd day; 90 is one every other day; 145 is four of every five days; 260 items means one every day plus alternating 2nd and 3rd days get 2 (which also means that 72 means alternating 2nd and 3rd days get one--I figured this out by dividing 72/180, which equals .4; a little messing around and I figured out that 2/5 is also .4, but I could have reduced the fraction if I'd thought of that! 2/5 means 2 of every five days has an activity, and that is easily divided into alternating second and third days).
First, I always answer the question: What does learning this subject, in general and on all levels, encompass? Learning music encompasses learning how to produce music, the technology of music (both instruments and computers/recording), the theory behind how the sounds are strung together, and music in our culture (both folk and formal).
Then, considering my own child's ability level, I ask myself, "What do I want this child to ultimately be able to do/know in this subject?" Ultimately, I want Nathanael and Benji (my current preschoolers) to be comfortable with music in general; I want them to be able to make music somehow (instrument, voice, whatever), I want them to have a solid foundation in "music you should know" (folk and formal), and I want them to know enough to be able to connect with their dad on his career. If my answer to this question was, "I want them to become concert pianists, and they have the aptitude," then that would obviously direct my efforts. Since the answer is, "I want them to have broad exposure to music and know enough to know if they want to pursue it further themselves," then a broad music education is what I'm after.
I decided that the best approach for my kids is to engage them in noticing sounds, playing with "music" online, give them a brief introduction to instruments, and get them singing. Since I want my kids to learn the foundational music "literature" that will make them culturally integrated, I decided to focus the first year of preschool on nursery rhymes and the second year of preschool on children's folk songs. To be culturally literature, you really need to be familiar with the words and tunes of nursery rhymes and certain well-known folk songs. Plus, nursery rhymes and folk songs have words and melodies that are easy to remember and fun to sing--they are both catchy and "sticky," so it would be an easy way to get my own kids singing. On top of that, folk songs don't need to be sung with fancy soundtracks, syncopated drum sounds, or jazzy dance moves. (Ever try to sing one of those el. ed. music "pop songs" they teach kids in school? The melodies are "simplified" and usually both ugly and forgettable, the words are either propagandist, sterilized, or dull, and the songs sound terrible without their "rock star" synthesized tracks. That makes them useless to me.) Songs that are "designed" to teach a certain concept are not nearly as effective at getting music into kids' souls as folk songs. I could go on, but you get the idea.
The final step, then is to find materials that are age-appropriate, educationally sound, and engaging. The ideal is to have the lesson be so interesting that the child does further exploration on their own. Because I am homeschooling six kids, I really don't want to spend all day sitting with each child one-on-one teaching them their lessons. I want the computer to do that, with me there as the tutor and learning coach. So the rule for materials is I have to have a distinct URL to the individual activities (so 100% Flash-based sites like Melody Street are useless to me, despite the fact that they are engaging, colorful, musically and educationally sound), and the activities have to be child-ready (not, therefore, lesson plans). They can be interactives, videos, e-books, printables, websites to explore, etc. But they have to be child-navigable and child-ready. Unlike some educational materials libraries, I don't exclude pages with ads on them, or pages that require a log in. But I do insist that all materials are 100% free, and I have had to teach my kids NOT to click on ads. Also, the pages have to load quickly, or the preschoolers click on to something else and miss the activity. 1 year olds aren't known for their patience! Finally, the activities have to be an appropriate length. While a 4th grader can handle a half-hour activity, preschoolers really do better with things that take 2-10 minutes--usually closer to 2.
A quick google search of "children's folk songs" gives you TONS of lyrics, and some bad midi tracks, but nothing terribly interesting--well, very little that is useful to kids "out of the box" (like this: http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/NCFR/NCFR.html . Great site, useless to set my preschooler free on). And most online music activities are too advanced for preschool age, so I decided to go with videos.
My first awkward steps into finding materials had me using the search box on YouTube for the words "nursery rhymes." No good. If you understand how search engines work and you understand the basics of cloud mentality, you realize people don't name their songs "nursery rhyme: Jack and Jill." Nor do they usually use the phrase "nursery rhymes" in the notes on videos.
I have since learned to do a google search for a list of songs, and then search YouTube for the individual song titles. Then I watch video after video, searching for the one that I think will be most effective at teaching my kids the songs.
If I already know the song, I am looking for the version I know or learned as a child (because I don't want to hear, "Mom! You're singing it wrong!" when I try to pass my own folk culture on to my kids). I am also looking for a good performance (nothing spoils a song faster than a bad performance) and a good recording of it (cell phone videos of live concerts don't cut it). Generally speaking, I prefer a video that is engaging visually, too: a cartoon, a puppet performance, a live performance that is filmed well and child-friendly, or even a slide show if necessary. Some of the best performances on YouTube are accompanied by a single static shot of a record cover. Not interesting to preschoolers!
Then, before I copy the link, I check the recommended videos on the side to make sure it's okay if the kids click on those videos (since they tend to while I'm in the bathroom or changing a diaper). Just today I had to eliminate most of the version of "Oh Susanna" I found because the recommended videos on the side bar included a hip-hop version with scantily clad European girls dancing and a video whose image was of six nude women in the '40s. I didn't even click on that one, so I have no idea what it actually was, but I certainly don't want Benji to find out for me while I'm answering the phone or helping someone with long division!
Then I copy the URL into my spreadsheet. I actually used Google Docs Forms to make an online worksheet I fill out (it speeds things up) that lets me copy the url in, type a quick description (this is useful while I'm sorting the materials and also if I find one of the links is dead later on--I can go find a different video with the same content), and then click boxes for subject area, grade level (because I often find something that is great for my 2nd grader, or fits perfectly with what the Kindie will be learning), and the type of material it is (interactive, video, e-book, etc.)--this helps me get a variety of materials, and also helps me when I'm sorting the links later.
Once I've collected all the materials I want to include for the year, I open the spreadsheet that the form has been saving everything onto for me. I sort first by grade and copy the non-preschool materials onto other, grade-level-specific spreadsheets to deal with later. Then I sort by subject area (to eliminate things I found that belong in, say, science or art). Then I copy the music activities to a different spreadsheet to make it easier to sort and re-sort without mixing in the art or science activities.
When I type the description of each link, I try to use Tags (like "Folk song: Handclapping chant: Miss Mary Mack" or "Folk Song: Oh Susanna". That way, when I go to sort the links into the order I want the kids to learn them, it's a lot easier. First I sort (using the spreadsheet program's sort function) by the description column. That puts all the activities with the same tags in blocks. Then I add numbers to the description box, before the tags if I want the activities scattered throughout the curriculum or after the tags if I want all activities with similar tags taught in a cluster. For example, if I want my child to do all five activities on the violin five days in a row, I would number them to show up in a cluster (either by giving them the same number before the tag or by numbering them in the order I want them done after the tag). If I want them to do one activity on the violin, then one on the cello, then one on the bass drum, etc. and then come back to the violin after they've covered all the other instruments, I would number the violin activities 1-5 before the tag, and number all the other instrument activities in the same way. Then I use the sort function.
I keep sorting, re-labeling, sorting, and fine-tuning (sometimes by copy-and-paste) until I am satisfied that every single activity is in the place in the curriculum where it will have the greatest educational impact. With music this is really easy because it doesn't really matter what order they hear the folk songs, so it goes really fast. Science activities are painstakingly slow, as are history and math (and most subjects, actually, except art and music) because every single activity is best done in a certain single spot in the curriculum, and I have to dig through everything and make sure it's just right to maximize the learning and minimize the stress on the kids. Concepts should flow, one to the next, building upon each other with little strain on the child's brain, so that learning is natural, fun, and easy.
When I am satisfied that the lessons are in order, I copy the data from the "work" spreadsheet onto a permanent, in-order grade level spreadsheet.
Then I copy JUST the links to a google doc, keeping them in order. This makes it easier for me to cut-and-paste them into the website I've created as an interface for my kids. You could just have your kids work from a list. Or you could enter the links into "The Head of the Class" using their customize curriculum option, and then they keep records for you and also have a fantastic interface for the kids to access the lessons with no confusion--it automatically moves the kid to the next lesson on the list. The other advantage of The Head of the Class is they will distribute the topics for you, eliminating the need for the next step.
Using the spreadsheet, I then find out how many activity links I have. I have my kids on a 180-day school year, and I want the links spread evenly throughout the year.
Then I have to do the math. Since math is not a native skill for me, I just muddle through. I can't explain exactly how I do it. It has something to do with the fact that it doesn't matter if you divide the number of days by the number of activities or the other way around, as long as you look at it right, and also with discovering how many are left over and how often you need an extra day (like we have music alternating every 3rd and 4th days, or we have math every day with two activities on every sixth day). If you really need to know, I'm sure I could figure out some instructions. The easy way, though, is to use "distribute topics" under "Customize curriculum" on The Head of the Class website.
So once I figure out how often I need a particular subject, I plug the icons into the website (or delete extras from the template I made--whatever works), assign the links to the icons, and we're good to go.
It's a lot of work, actually.
Good thing I enjoy it.
Note on the math:
I ended up with 145 music activities. That means I have to skip 35 days, evenly spread over the whole year, but otherwise have music every day. To evenly distribute the missed days, first I divided 145/180. That equaled .80, which is the same as 8/10, which is the same as 4/5. That means I put music activities on 4 of every 5 days, or, in other words, I skip every fifth day.
To check my math, I divided 35/180, which equals .19. This is almost .20, which is the same as 1/5, or one out of every five. .20 plus .80 equals 1.00, or 100%, so that means I did the numbers right. I'm never sure, though until I start plugging it all in. So far, it's worked every time!
I've worked out some hints for myself, so I don't have to muddle through every time:
36 items means 1 every 5th day; 45 items means 1 every 4th day; 60 items is one every 3rd day; 90 is one every other day; 145 is four of every five days; 260 items means one every day plus alternating 2nd and 3rd days get 2 (which also means that 72 means alternating 2nd and 3rd days get one--I figured this out by dividing 72/180, which equals .4; a little messing around and I figured out that 2/5 is also .4, but I could have reduced the fraction if I'd thought of that! 2/5 means 2 of every five days has an activity, and that is easily divided into alternating second and third days).
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Did I just read that?
"Courts offer free divorce classes for children" http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=15997060
Since ALL children need to know how to divorce.....
Did I just read that?
From Boulder Craigslist today: "Free Stuff!!! Kids trucks, Gazelle, Patio furniture, freezer, toddler - (Lyons) pic"
As if Gazelle wasn't surprising enough--toddler?
As if Gazelle wasn't surprising enough--toddler?
Friday, June 17, 2011
Adventures on the roof.
Our house is hot.
Not right now. Right now it's about 55 degrees outside and all the windows are open and fans are blowing cool air in and hot air out.
Even all morning, the house stays pretty cool all by itself.
Then, at 2:00 pm, the sun hits the front of the house. We have six big windows on the front of our house. Six. Big ones. And from about 3:00 until the sun goes down, the sunlight blasts the front of the house, heating up all those old, 1970s original single-pane, aluminum windows until the metal will burn your fingers. Between 2:00 and 4:00 pm, the temperature in the house goes up 10-15 degrees, from tolerable to who invited the devil in?
Honestly, the house feels like an oven all afternoon.
It starts cooling the instant the sun goes down, but it takes all night for it to get really cool in here again--and then we start over.
We've tried a lot of things.
We tried 70% efficient window film. It did make the sunspot on the floor less hot. It also made the window itself even MORE hot, and that radiated into the house. Plus it peeled off.
We tried nailing blankets over the windows. That helped a little.
We tried a heat-proof curtain my aunt bought at a garage sale when she was living here. That worked well, but there's only one and it's 3'x6'--only big enough for one of the bedroom windows. Plus it does let the heat into the house. It just keeps it in the window sill, mostly, but some does leak out into the room around the edges.
We tried a whole-house swamp cooler that's on the roof. Whoever installed it was an idiot--they put in one designed to cool 500 square feet. On a 2200 square foot house. Brilliant. And it wasn't wired properly and started shorting. Plus it was hard to maintain--I even ended up stuck on the roof once when I had a ladder mishap. Plus it was a dumb idea to put a swamp cooler on a flat black roof that has little shade most of the day--so it heats up to about 200 degrees up there in the summer--even the best swamp cooler can't cool 200 degree air to cold enough to cool a house. Swamp cooler fail.
We tried window A/C, but the only windows that can support them are in the front of the house (all the back window open horizontally instead of vertically), and the heat there is so powerful the coolers can hardly compete.
We tried single-room swamp cooler, combined with fans everywhere. It sort of works, but it's designed to cool about 300 square feet. Sigh.
We tried putting drapes in the front windows. That helped a little. But not enough.
We tried elastomeric roof coatings. That helped a little but we needed 3 more coats and ran out of money, and then the roof coating mostly just wore off over the succeeding years. We probably should do this again. And we should probably use elastomeric paint when we paint the house next time (it needs it desperately. This house, as far as I can tell, has never had a new coat of paint--not since it was painted when it was built in 1972).
So, in the sum total of everything: our house is 80 degrees inside during the day. Unless it's over 85 outside. Then it's 84-85 degrees inside.
That is WAAAYYYYYY too hot to function.
So today I wrapped up my research on what else I could try and came to the conclusion that solar screens, 90% efficient, would be the next best experiment. Lowes sells small rolls (most places you have to buy 100' of it for $300; Lowes sells pieces that are 48" x 84" for $12). So today we went out and bought some.
And then waited until the hot black roof wasn't too hot.
And then I went out there with a hammer, some nails, some scissors, and the solar screens. I climbed through the baby's bedroom window onto the flat garage roof and started working on nailing the screens across the window to the siding of the house (which is all wood) because I didn't have window screen frames and didn't want to build them. And pretty soon I looked down and found three little boys scrambling out the window, and a little girl going out her bedroom window.
Did I mention it was 2:00 am?
Yeah. 3 little boys, ages 2, 4, and 5, on a big flat roof they've been eyeing for months (or years). They didn't manage to stay sitting. And the baby started crying. And then screaming, just inside the open window on Caleb's lap. So I had little boys running. Baby screaming. Anda asking to come out. On the roof. In the dark. At 2:00 am.
So I got more than a little nervous and more than a little irritated and chased everyone back into the house. Except somehow I ended up sitting on the roof with the baby in my lap. And my 2 year old begging to come back out.
And somehow I managed to climb back in through the window with a baby in my arms.
And Benji immediately scolded me: "Mom! You yelled at my friend Nathie!"
Tim came up and took the baby, distracted the kids, and then sent me back onto the roof to finish. I locked the bedroom door behind me this time and climbed back out. It only took 10 minutes to nail the screens on and trim them to the right size. And I even remembered to leave one loose at the bottom so I could climb back in!
Now we wait to see if it works.
Naturally, it's supposed to be overcast and rainy every afternoon for the rest of the week.....
Not right now. Right now it's about 55 degrees outside and all the windows are open and fans are blowing cool air in and hot air out.
Even all morning, the house stays pretty cool all by itself.
Then, at 2:00 pm, the sun hits the front of the house. We have six big windows on the front of our house. Six. Big ones. And from about 3:00 until the sun goes down, the sunlight blasts the front of the house, heating up all those old, 1970s original single-pane, aluminum windows until the metal will burn your fingers. Between 2:00 and 4:00 pm, the temperature in the house goes up 10-15 degrees, from tolerable to who invited the devil in?
Honestly, the house feels like an oven all afternoon.
It starts cooling the instant the sun goes down, but it takes all night for it to get really cool in here again--and then we start over.
We've tried a lot of things.
We tried 70% efficient window film. It did make the sunspot on the floor less hot. It also made the window itself even MORE hot, and that radiated into the house. Plus it peeled off.
We tried nailing blankets over the windows. That helped a little.
We tried a heat-proof curtain my aunt bought at a garage sale when she was living here. That worked well, but there's only one and it's 3'x6'--only big enough for one of the bedroom windows. Plus it does let the heat into the house. It just keeps it in the window sill, mostly, but some does leak out into the room around the edges.
We tried a whole-house swamp cooler that's on the roof. Whoever installed it was an idiot--they put in one designed to cool 500 square feet. On a 2200 square foot house. Brilliant. And it wasn't wired properly and started shorting. Plus it was hard to maintain--I even ended up stuck on the roof once when I had a ladder mishap. Plus it was a dumb idea to put a swamp cooler on a flat black roof that has little shade most of the day--so it heats up to about 200 degrees up there in the summer--even the best swamp cooler can't cool 200 degree air to cold enough to cool a house. Swamp cooler fail.
We tried window A/C, but the only windows that can support them are in the front of the house (all the back window open horizontally instead of vertically), and the heat there is so powerful the coolers can hardly compete.
We tried single-room swamp cooler, combined with fans everywhere. It sort of works, but it's designed to cool about 300 square feet. Sigh.
We tried putting drapes in the front windows. That helped a little. But not enough.
We tried elastomeric roof coatings. That helped a little but we needed 3 more coats and ran out of money, and then the roof coating mostly just wore off over the succeeding years. We probably should do this again. And we should probably use elastomeric paint when we paint the house next time (it needs it desperately. This house, as far as I can tell, has never had a new coat of paint--not since it was painted when it was built in 1972).
So, in the sum total of everything: our house is 80 degrees inside during the day. Unless it's over 85 outside. Then it's 84-85 degrees inside.
That is WAAAYYYYYY too hot to function.
So today I wrapped up my research on what else I could try and came to the conclusion that solar screens, 90% efficient, would be the next best experiment. Lowes sells small rolls (most places you have to buy 100' of it for $300; Lowes sells pieces that are 48" x 84" for $12). So today we went out and bought some.
And then waited until the hot black roof wasn't too hot.
And then I went out there with a hammer, some nails, some scissors, and the solar screens. I climbed through the baby's bedroom window onto the flat garage roof and started working on nailing the screens across the window to the siding of the house (which is all wood) because I didn't have window screen frames and didn't want to build them. And pretty soon I looked down and found three little boys scrambling out the window, and a little girl going out her bedroom window.
Did I mention it was 2:00 am?
Yeah. 3 little boys, ages 2, 4, and 5, on a big flat roof they've been eyeing for months (or years). They didn't manage to stay sitting. And the baby started crying. And then screaming, just inside the open window on Caleb's lap. So I had little boys running. Baby screaming. Anda asking to come out. On the roof. In the dark. At 2:00 am.
So I got more than a little nervous and more than a little irritated and chased everyone back into the house. Except somehow I ended up sitting on the roof with the baby in my lap. And my 2 year old begging to come back out.
And somehow I managed to climb back in through the window with a baby in my arms.
And Benji immediately scolded me: "Mom! You yelled at my friend Nathie!"
Tim came up and took the baby, distracted the kids, and then sent me back onto the roof to finish. I locked the bedroom door behind me this time and climbed back out. It only took 10 minutes to nail the screens on and trim them to the right size. And I even remembered to leave one loose at the bottom so I could climb back in!
Now we wait to see if it works.
Naturally, it's supposed to be overcast and rainy every afternoon for the rest of the week.....
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Things I heard from the kids on the way home
We made it home from Utah.
It is still a long, tedious drive.
In addition to the usual, "How long do we have left?", I heard from the kids:
"I think it might be due to atmospheric distortion and color aberration...." (from 9yo Caleb, about the beautiful sight of the full moon growing brighter right in the band of pink in the sky at sunset) and
"I hope it's close to two-thirds of a half an hour rather than a whole half hour...." (from 7 yo Anda, in response to my saying, "Twenty or thirty minutes more....")
Also, there was quite a lot of random numbers being shouted out as the kids played the new game I invented on the way out: whenever you see a number on a sign or license plate, add the digits and tell us the sum, which Anda introduced to Dan as "a great way to practice our math facts!" in a very happy, excited voice.
I have the greatest kids.
It is still a long, tedious drive.
In addition to the usual, "How long do we have left?", I heard from the kids:
"I think it might be due to atmospheric distortion and color aberration...." (from 9yo Caleb, about the beautiful sight of the full moon growing brighter right in the band of pink in the sky at sunset) and
"I hope it's close to two-thirds of a half an hour rather than a whole half hour...." (from 7 yo Anda, in response to my saying, "Twenty or thirty minutes more....")
Also, there was quite a lot of random numbers being shouted out as the kids played the new game I invented on the way out: whenever you see a number on a sign or license plate, add the digits and tell us the sum, which Anda introduced to Dan as "a great way to practice our math facts!" in a very happy, excited voice.
I have the greatest kids.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Good reason to nurse babies:
"researchers found that the rate of SIDS was 60 percent lower among infants who had any amount of breastfeeding compared to those who didn't breastfeed, and more than 70 percent lower in infants that been breastfed exclusively - without any formula - for any period of time."
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/06/13/breastfeeding-linked-to-lower-risk-sids/#ixzz1PEmwMhJB
What goes unsaid here is that kind of implicates Formula in SIDS. If babies who drink formula have a 70 percent greater chance of dying from SIDS, why are we still giving formula to children? And why is there no furor about this in the press?
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/06/13/breastfeeding-linked-to-lower-risk-sids/#ixzz1PEmwMhJB
What goes unsaid here is that kind of implicates Formula in SIDS. If babies who drink formula have a 70 percent greater chance of dying from SIDS, why are we still giving formula to children? And why is there no furor about this in the press?
Look at it this way: when scientists discovered that babies who sleep on their backs have a statistically significant lower risk of dying of SIDS, the AAP went all out to basically force parents to make their babies sleep on their backs--even to the point that babies who need to sleep on their tummies in order to sleep aren't "allowed". Parents and babies are getting less sleep, less education about healthy sleep, and having fewer options to make their babies happy. All because of what my doctor said was actually a LESS THAN 1% greater likelihood of a baby dying of SIDS simply from sleeping on its back. LESS than 1%.
So now we find a 70% chance, and what do we say? NOTHING.
Why? Because it's too late for moms who didn't breastfeed to start? Because we don't want to hurt the feelings of Moms who really shouldn't breastfeed (like because they need anti-depressants?). Because the makers of formula are too powerful?
Why is the word not spreading on this one?
Monday, June 13, 2011
On the road again...
We're just getting ready to head home from yet another round of touring. We've learned a few things this time:
If we have to drive the singers around, too, it would be better if we had a 15-passenger van than a 7-passenger van (since there are 8 of us anyway). Tim and the singers did a lot of fun stuff me and the kids wanted to do, but no way to join in. Also, given the choice, it would be better to rent them a car than have to share. That was rough.
Trying to do a family vacation and a tour on the same week to the same place SEEMED like a good idea, but it was utterly exhausting. Vacations should be vacations. Work trips should be work trips. And if we come on a work trip, everything is much, much easier if we plan to just sit around all the time doing the same things we do at home. We are all worn completely out.
If the gate is open, you might lose a toddler. Losing a toddler is the scariest feeling EVER. Close the gates.
If you go into a henhouse in the middle of the night and find your 4 yo already hanging out there, it's best if you tell someone else you're both in the barn petting the chicks, or you might get locked in.
For every bad labor story I have personally, there are ones that are much, much worse. MUCH worse. (I will never again complain about an unwanted natural childbirth of a very much wanted baby.....).
Sometimes one person's ideas can challenge the way I've viewed Shakespeare since I was in fifth grade.
You don't have to finish the hike to enjoy it. (I always want to see where the trail ends. I hate turning around in the middle. But I discovered this time that it's okay to stop and go back.).
I actually know more about the natural world than I realized, and I need to be outdoors with my kids more so I can pass that knowledge along.
1 giant field with hills + 1 curious 4 yo + 1000 fans = nightmare times 10 for mommy.
My kids are finally getting old enough to be really fun to talk to. On one hour-long drive, Caleb and I discussed how rocks are formed, the elements that are the ingredients for everything on earth, biochemistry (he begged to take biochem for 5th grade science! I'm so delighted!), the nature of memory (and we have some very intriguing theories that explain a lot that science is still pondering), how plasma screens work (we didn't know, but we looked it up later), and how amazing it is that computers work when, ultimately, their entire language is made up of two "letters"--on and off--arranged very carefully. Yeah--biochem, the nature of memory, and binary all in one conversation. I was thrilled.
Also learned that Wal-Mart brand dried fruit is one of the best out there. Who would have guessed?
If we have to drive the singers around, too, it would be better if we had a 15-passenger van than a 7-passenger van (since there are 8 of us anyway). Tim and the singers did a lot of fun stuff me and the kids wanted to do, but no way to join in. Also, given the choice, it would be better to rent them a car than have to share. That was rough.
Trying to do a family vacation and a tour on the same week to the same place SEEMED like a good idea, but it was utterly exhausting. Vacations should be vacations. Work trips should be work trips. And if we come on a work trip, everything is much, much easier if we plan to just sit around all the time doing the same things we do at home. We are all worn completely out.
If the gate is open, you might lose a toddler. Losing a toddler is the scariest feeling EVER. Close the gates.
If you go into a henhouse in the middle of the night and find your 4 yo already hanging out there, it's best if you tell someone else you're both in the barn petting the chicks, or you might get locked in.
For every bad labor story I have personally, there are ones that are much, much worse. MUCH worse. (I will never again complain about an unwanted natural childbirth of a very much wanted baby.....).
Sometimes one person's ideas can challenge the way I've viewed Shakespeare since I was in fifth grade.
You don't have to finish the hike to enjoy it. (I always want to see where the trail ends. I hate turning around in the middle. But I discovered this time that it's okay to stop and go back.).
I actually know more about the natural world than I realized, and I need to be outdoors with my kids more so I can pass that knowledge along.
1 giant field with hills + 1 curious 4 yo + 1000 fans = nightmare times 10 for mommy.
My kids are finally getting old enough to be really fun to talk to. On one hour-long drive, Caleb and I discussed how rocks are formed, the elements that are the ingredients for everything on earth, biochemistry (he begged to take biochem for 5th grade science! I'm so delighted!), the nature of memory (and we have some very intriguing theories that explain a lot that science is still pondering), how plasma screens work (we didn't know, but we looked it up later), and how amazing it is that computers work when, ultimately, their entire language is made up of two "letters"--on and off--arranged very carefully. Yeah--biochem, the nature of memory, and binary all in one conversation. I was thrilled.
Also learned that Wal-Mart brand dried fruit is one of the best out there. Who would have guessed?
Sunday, June 12, 2011
The Dump Truck
Last night, we took the kids to see the moosebutter show. Well, I did. Tim was in the show.
So we had two cars (my sister kindly lent me her van to get the kids there since our van was full of musicians).
After the show and the cleanup, Tim headed off through Provo to take the musicians to their sleeping quarters, and I headed down the freeway toward my sister's house, where we've been sleeping.
Right now, the stretch of I-15 through Provo, UT, is heavily under construction. There are cones everywhere, cement barriers hemming in traffic on both sides so there are no shoulders. There are many many sudden lane shifts, and just enough chaos, especially at night, that if something came up, emergency-wise, your reaction time is cut simply because you can't often see if something is in your lane or not, and it's hard to tell what is constructions work and what is traffic.
So I was driving down the freeway, and suddenly the lane I was in and the one directly to my right (the farthest right lane on the freeway at that point) were full of brake lights. So I slowed down, too, hoping we weren't coming up on a road closure. But no, just a really REALLY slow dump truck. Big, dirty, and just creeping along.
But there was a cement barrier all along beside that lane, with no exits in sight, so the dump truck couldn't be getting off anywhere to get to work. So it was just creeping along, being a nuisance?
As I passed the truck, I saw in front of it a little compact car with its hazards flashing, a single man behind it pushing with all his might. I assume it was his wife steering. Their car was obviously completely dead, and there was no way for them to get off the freeway to safety--no shoulder, no emergency pull off, and a mile to the next exit (or more!).
Behind them, not a nuisance, but a big, ugly, dirty guardian angel, creeping along knowing that if anyone didn't notice the brake lights and smashed into HIM, not much would happen--even at high speeds, a car wouldn't likely propel a heavily-loaded dump truck very far forward, but without him, there was very little chance the poor single small man pushing his car off the freeway would be noticed in time and not killed.
So we had two cars (my sister kindly lent me her van to get the kids there since our van was full of musicians).
After the show and the cleanup, Tim headed off through Provo to take the musicians to their sleeping quarters, and I headed down the freeway toward my sister's house, where we've been sleeping.
Right now, the stretch of I-15 through Provo, UT, is heavily under construction. There are cones everywhere, cement barriers hemming in traffic on both sides so there are no shoulders. There are many many sudden lane shifts, and just enough chaos, especially at night, that if something came up, emergency-wise, your reaction time is cut simply because you can't often see if something is in your lane or not, and it's hard to tell what is constructions work and what is traffic.
So I was driving down the freeway, and suddenly the lane I was in and the one directly to my right (the farthest right lane on the freeway at that point) were full of brake lights. So I slowed down, too, hoping we weren't coming up on a road closure. But no, just a really REALLY slow dump truck. Big, dirty, and just creeping along.
But there was a cement barrier all along beside that lane, with no exits in sight, so the dump truck couldn't be getting off anywhere to get to work. So it was just creeping along, being a nuisance?
As I passed the truck, I saw in front of it a little compact car with its hazards flashing, a single man behind it pushing with all his might. I assume it was his wife steering. Their car was obviously completely dead, and there was no way for them to get off the freeway to safety--no shoulder, no emergency pull off, and a mile to the next exit (or more!).
Behind them, not a nuisance, but a big, ugly, dirty guardian angel, creeping along knowing that if anyone didn't notice the brake lights and smashed into HIM, not much would happen--even at high speeds, a car wouldn't likely propel a heavily-loaded dump truck very far forward, but without him, there was very little chance the poor single small man pushing his car off the freeway would be noticed in time and not killed.
Did I just read that?
As we were walking into the Springville Arts Park for Art City Days, my kids kept sniggering. I finally tuned in to what they were laughing at as I pulled through a gate into the performer parking (which was also the handicapped parking--is that some kind of a hint?).
There was a sign on the fence that said:
Smoking
"NO Alcohol
Dogs."
I can't reproduce it here using blogger formatting , but you get the idea.
Definitely snigger-worthy.
Any way you imagine them, smoking alcohol dogs are funny. And not allowed in the Arts Park.
There was a sign on the fence that said:
Smoking
"NO Alcohol
Dogs."
I can't reproduce it here using blogger formatting , but you get the idea.
Definitely snigger-worthy.
Any way you imagine them, smoking alcohol dogs are funny. And not allowed in the Arts Park.
And they strike again!
Anda recently discovered that she loves Whoppers candy. So when we saw a box in the ice cream section of the store that said, "Whoppers!" on it, she had to have some for her birthday. So I bought her some for her birthday.
And guess what?
It's not ice cream!
Frozen dairy dessert strikes again!
Yes, Breyers is trying to maximize their profits once again. More sugar, less expense for them (less cream, after all), and they pretend it's "deluxe", what with all that name-brand candy inside. So they charge well over $5 a box. For something that is so cheap to make that, minus the whoppers, the exact same product sells for a dollar a box in other brands.
Nice. For them.
And guess what?
It's not ice cream!
Frozen dairy dessert strikes again!
Yes, Breyers is trying to maximize their profits once again. More sugar, less expense for them (less cream, after all), and they pretend it's "deluxe", what with all that name-brand candy inside. So they charge well over $5 a box. For something that is so cheap to make that, minus the whoppers, the exact same product sells for a dollar a box in other brands.
Nice. For them.
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Saturday, June 04, 2011
Did I just read that?
Let's play spot the funny headline!
Screenshot from my laptop today:
The story was funny, too, but not so much as the headline suggests: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/06/04/hypnotists-on-stage-injury-leaves-three-audience-members-in-trance/?test=latestnews
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Drug war?
I read this today:
"Instead of punishing users who the report says "do no harm to others," the commission argues that governments should end criminalization of drug use, experiment with legal models that would undermine organized crime syndicates and offer health and treatment services for drug-users in need.
The commission called for drug policies based on methods empirically proven to reduce crime, lead to better health and promote economic and social development.
Regarding the United States, former Colombian president Cesar Gaviria told The Associated Press by phone that the country should starting thinking about "alternatives."
"We don't see the U.S. evolving in a way that is compatible with our (countries') long-term interests," he said. " Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/06/02/white-house-pushes-back-on-report-declaring-war-on-drugs-failure/#ixzz1OAhSRzcP
"Instead of punishing users who the report says "do no harm to others," the commission argues that governments should end criminalization of drug use, experiment with legal models that would undermine organized crime syndicates and offer health and treatment services for drug-users in need.
The commission called for drug policies based on methods empirically proven to reduce crime, lead to better health and promote economic and social development.
Regarding the United States, former Colombian president Cesar Gaviria told The Associated Press by phone that the country should starting thinking about "alternatives."
"We don't see the U.S. evolving in a way that is compatible with our (countries') long-term interests," he said. " Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/06/02/white-house-pushes-back-on-report-declaring-war-on-drugs-failure/#ixzz1OAhSRzcP
And what do I think?
A) Anyone who has ever known a drug addict knows that they don't "do no harm to others." Junkies, for example, spend quite a lot of time committing burglary and violent crimes in order to get funds to find their next high. I can't call that "no harm." In addition, drug addicts destroy their families, abuse and neglect their children, end up on welfare because they can't keep a job.....is that No Harm? No. It leaves me immediately wondering what the agenda of the committee is.
Well, they made it clear in the last line.
and B) Columbia stands to make a LOT of money from the drug trade if it becomes legal in the US, and they don't have to handle any of the bad results. Of COURSE they are going to push legality of drugs in the US because we are their major customer, and they want us to stop sending our armies out to attack their biggest tax-revenue producers. Duh. So of course our policies are not in their best long-term interest.
and B) Columbia stands to make a LOT of money from the drug trade if it becomes legal in the US, and they don't have to handle any of the bad results. Of COURSE they are going to push legality of drugs in the US because we are their major customer, and they want us to stop sending our armies out to attack their biggest tax-revenue producers. Duh. So of course our policies are not in their best long-term interest.
But they ARE in our best long-term interest, and, quite frankly, it isn't our primary responsibility to provide tax money to other governments. We have to do what's right for our country--and it's easy easy easy to see that drugs aren't it.
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Did I just read that?
"Though a World Health Organization study concluded cell phones may cause cancer, some are wondering why, if their truly is a link, there not been a significant worldwide increase in brain cancers." http://abcnews.go.com/US/cellphones-cancer-brain-cancers-spiked/story?id=13737320
Okay, so they might not cause cancer, but apparently THERE might be a link with language skills.
I expect this kind of thing from podunk or foreign websites...but ABC? Seriously, they should know better.
Okay, so they might not cause cancer, but apparently THERE might be a link with language skills.
I expect this kind of thing from podunk or foreign websites...but ABC? Seriously, they should know better.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Clarification:
Apparently those of you who get my blog via email got an edited email that made it look like Nathanael swore when he was designing computer games.
That wasn't me inserting four asterisks where four letters had been. I spelled out exactly what he said, and it was a word with two "p"s and two "o"s. I guess feedburner won't burn feeds with that word--maybe it's opposed to words that deal with bodily functions, I guess. Makes me want to type a real swear word just to see what it does to that.....but I won't. (My kids read this blog, after all....)
To read what he really said, you can look here: http://beccajones.blogspot.com/2011/05/computer-game-design2-year-old-style.html
Also, I've been told the posts get truncated when they arrive via email when you read them on your smart phone. Just fyi.
That wasn't me inserting four asterisks where four letters had been. I spelled out exactly what he said, and it was a word with two "p"s and two "o"s. I guess feedburner won't burn feeds with that word--maybe it's opposed to words that deal with bodily functions, I guess. Makes me want to type a real swear word just to see what it does to that.....but I won't. (My kids read this blog, after all....)
To read what he really said, you can look here: http://beccajones.blogspot.com/2011/05/computer-game-design2-year-old-style.html
Also, I've been told the posts get truncated when they arrive via email when you read them on your smart phone. Just fyi.
Did I just read that?
Regarding a rule that would crack down on for-profit colleges (especially ones with high debt among students): "Melanie Sloan of the liberal watchdog group Citizens For Responsibility and Ethics in Washington notes it is "a regulation that would affect only for-profit colleges, not non for-profit colleges." Rep. Rob Andrews, D-N.J., thinks he may know why. "I think there is a bias against for-profit schools that has informed this rule." "
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/05/27/obama-crackdown-profit-colleges-faces-stiff-resistance/#ixzz1NdhqE2BS
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/05/27/obama-crackdown-profit-colleges-faces-stiff-resistance/#ixzz1NdhqE2BS
Ya think? That's pretty smart brainwork there. Maybe he's a politician? And she just loves those negatives....
Did I just read that?
"Whiteley said anyone interested in the effort can call him at 303-888-8698 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 303-888-8698 end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 303-888-8698 end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 303-888-8698 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or email him at wes@stvraincounty.com." http://www.timescall.com/news/longmont-local-news/ci_18148993
I think I'll email.
I think I'll email.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Computer game design....2 year old style
Nathanael has become very interested in computer game design. He's 2 years old, but he's adept at playing Nintendo and computer games--mostly platformers. I'm not that into letting kids play first-person shooters or mmprpgs or anything like that. But he plays Mario games, Kirby games, and Pacman World games with abandon.
Lately, when he's been drawing pictures with crayons, he narrates what he's drawing (which is good because it looks like lines and wobbly shapes to me). "This is the hole Mario falls in. Here is Mario's house. Please draw me a balloon Mario can escape in...."
This afternoon, as I was trying to wake up, I heard a sleepy little Nathanael narrating the intro dialogue to a new game, apparently based on a clean-up game on pbskids with Curious George, but with Nathanael's own twist:
"Yuck! There's poop all over the house! Can you help me clean it up?"
Lately, when he's been drawing pictures with crayons, he narrates what he's drawing (which is good because it looks like lines and wobbly shapes to me). "This is the hole Mario falls in. Here is Mario's house. Please draw me a balloon Mario can escape in...."
This afternoon, as I was trying to wake up, I heard a sleepy little Nathanael narrating the intro dialogue to a new game, apparently based on a clean-up game on pbskids with Curious George, but with Nathanael's own twist:
"Yuck! There's poop all over the house! Can you help me clean it up?"
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Did I just read that?
I don't think Fox News believes in copy editors:
FIRST line of a story:
"Elizabeth Smart told her kidnapper that she will have a good life despite what he did to her moments before he was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison in the Salt Lake City, Utah federal court."Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/05/25/elizabeth-smart-tells-kidnapper-shell-live-good-life-moments-gets-life-sentence/#ixzz1NPW9reJx
FIRST line of a story:
"Elizabeth Smart told her kidnapper that she will have a good life despite what he did to her moments before he was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison in the Salt Lake City, Utah federal court."Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/05/25/elizabeth-smart-tells-kidnapper-shell-live-good-life-moments-gets-life-sentence/#ixzz1NPW9reJx
What exactly did he do right before they sentenced him?
Now we'll play "Spot the misplaced apostrophe." Hint: it isn't in a place where people usually get confused, like its/it's.
Second sentence: "Smart, who spoke briefly in court, told Brian David Mitchell that she know's he knew what he did to her was wrong."
Second sentence: "Smart, who spoke briefly in court, told Brian David Mitchell that she know's he knew what he did to her was wrong."
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Some random thoughts I don't have the energy to develop right now
Wandering the net and I discovered:
Someone is doing another Mormon Musical. Here's my question: Why is it not only okay, but popular to mock Mormons? And what are they mocking us for? Apparently for believing that life should be happy and that family is important. I guess other people consider that naive? They don't WANT to be happy? Or they really believe it's not actually even possible? I don't get this. If we were ANY other race or religion, this would not be acceptable. But we're Mormon, so it's okay, right? Because we're just going to turn the other cheek?
At the same time, the debate is ongoing: It's not okay to marginalize homosexuals. (But it's okay to not only marginalize, but Mock Mormons? Really?) I agree with that point--not okay to marginalize human beings. But it's smoke and mirrors. The real debate is freedom of belief--is it possible for two people with diametrically opposed beliefs to co-exist? It's the old irresistible cannonball and immovable post issue, in some ways. This fight is NOT about marginalizing gay people. This fight is about defending our right (on both sides) to believe something someone else finds reprehensible. And, unfortunately, religious people are not allowed to defend their side. Because religion is persona non grata in American life anymore. Why? I don't know.
The issue nobody can talk about because religion is persona non grata is that NOTHING we do is truly going to make the homosexual populace feel happy. They're trying to legislate us into that by legislating out our religions. Banish all the religions. Make the moral minority (under their definition of "moral") the dominant force in America today (vs the majority, who are religious and ALL being marginalized by the press lately), and they still won't be happy. Why? Alma 41:10.
I find it amazingly, sadly ironic that we openly, aggressively condemn other countries for allowing their citizens to persecute people because of their religions. But when it happens here, in the land of the free, we don't just look away. The popular culture (which I don't think actually represents the majority beliefs, but still controls the majority's actions) actually has a "serves them right!" attitude and openly HELPS the persecution instead of condemning it. But only if the persecuted are being persecuted for their religion. Instead of saying, "Hey, knock it off!" we give these people awards!
Other random thought (all the others appear to have been connected after all!):
I find it amusing that we, culturally (not individually), avoid having children and then, when they do come along, basically institutionalize them (in daycares) so we adults can all go out and act like children!
The Peter Pan approach to population ecology isn't sustainable. Culturally, we've got this weird, hedonistic, ego-centric thing going. We've elevated the individual so high in our values that we've not only rejected religion, but basic biology. We're no longer searching for truth or happiness, but for stimulation of all kinds (physical, mental, etc), even at the expense of happiness, cultural stability, or anything that will give us cultural longevity. Are we all Nero, fiddling while Rome burns?
Someone is doing another Mormon Musical. Here's my question: Why is it not only okay, but popular to mock Mormons? And what are they mocking us for? Apparently for believing that life should be happy and that family is important. I guess other people consider that naive? They don't WANT to be happy? Or they really believe it's not actually even possible? I don't get this. If we were ANY other race or religion, this would not be acceptable. But we're Mormon, so it's okay, right? Because we're just going to turn the other cheek?
At the same time, the debate is ongoing: It's not okay to marginalize homosexuals. (But it's okay to not only marginalize, but Mock Mormons? Really?) I agree with that point--not okay to marginalize human beings. But it's smoke and mirrors. The real debate is freedom of belief--is it possible for two people with diametrically opposed beliefs to co-exist? It's the old irresistible cannonball and immovable post issue, in some ways. This fight is NOT about marginalizing gay people. This fight is about defending our right (on both sides) to believe something someone else finds reprehensible. And, unfortunately, religious people are not allowed to defend their side. Because religion is persona non grata in American life anymore. Why? I don't know.
The issue nobody can talk about because religion is persona non grata is that NOTHING we do is truly going to make the homosexual populace feel happy. They're trying to legislate us into that by legislating out our religions. Banish all the religions. Make the moral minority (under their definition of "moral") the dominant force in America today (vs the majority, who are religious and ALL being marginalized by the press lately), and they still won't be happy. Why? Alma 41:10.
I find it amazingly, sadly ironic that we openly, aggressively condemn other countries for allowing their citizens to persecute people because of their religions. But when it happens here, in the land of the free, we don't just look away. The popular culture (which I don't think actually represents the majority beliefs, but still controls the majority's actions) actually has a "serves them right!" attitude and openly HELPS the persecution instead of condemning it. But only if the persecuted are being persecuted for their religion. Instead of saying, "Hey, knock it off!" we give these people awards!
Other random thought (all the others appear to have been connected after all!):
I find it amusing that we, culturally (not individually), avoid having children and then, when they do come along, basically institutionalize them (in daycares) so we adults can all go out and act like children!
The Peter Pan approach to population ecology isn't sustainable. Culturally, we've got this weird, hedonistic, ego-centric thing going. We've elevated the individual so high in our values that we've not only rejected religion, but basic biology. We're no longer searching for truth or happiness, but for stimulation of all kinds (physical, mental, etc), even at the expense of happiness, cultural stability, or anything that will give us cultural longevity. Are we all Nero, fiddling while Rome burns?
Monday, May 23, 2011
Free downloads of new songs
Tim is so anxious for people to hear his new stuff that he's willing to give it away free if you'll listen to it and tell him what you think--either a single song or the whole album--in a review (which you can email him, so he's the only one who sees it). He obviously wants to know what you like, but he also wants to know what you don't like. Good, bad, and ugly. He really wants to know.
And he really REALLY wants everyone to listen.
See, we've been having a dickens of a time getting people to listen to the new stuff because everyone is expecting moosebutter. But this couldn't be farther from moosebutter! It's nothing like moosebutter.
So have a listen. Please.
You can listen free here: http://listn.to/MisterTim
or here: http://listn.to/THROAT
or here: http://mistertimdotcom.com/store
And here are instructions for getting it to download free: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=115613785190662
If you like it, email Tim or message him on facebook and say so. If your friends would like it, please share!
This is new stuff and it's VERY VERY cool. All vocal, but it's not "a cappella"--not like you've heard before.
And if you want proof that it's all vocal, come to one of the upcoming shows, in Colorado and Utah, but he's working on booking them everywhere: https://www.facebook.com/MisterTimMusic?sk=events or http://mistertimdotcom.com/shows/calendar for a listing.
And he really REALLY wants everyone to listen.
See, we've been having a dickens of a time getting people to listen to the new stuff because everyone is expecting moosebutter. But this couldn't be farther from moosebutter! It's nothing like moosebutter.
So have a listen. Please.
You can listen free here: http://listn.to/MisterTim
or here: http://listn.to/THROAT
or here: http://mistertimdotcom.com/store
And here are instructions for getting it to download free: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=115613785190662
If you like it, email Tim or message him on facebook and say so. If your friends would like it, please share!
This is new stuff and it's VERY VERY cool. All vocal, but it's not "a cappella"--not like you've heard before.
And if you want proof that it's all vocal, come to one of the upcoming shows, in Colorado and Utah, but he's working on booking them everywhere: https://www.facebook.com/MisterTimMusic?sk=events or http://mistertimdotcom.com/shows/calendar for a listing.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Did I just read that?
Best quote I've read in a long LOOOOONNNG time: "It takes full effect in October, when federal agencies must start writing plainly in all new or substantially revised documents produced for the public. The government will still be allowed to write nonsensically to itself."
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/05/19/feds-stop-writing-gibberish-new-law/#ixzz1N7HNCCvA
The government writers are now instructed: ""Federal writers are not supposed to be creating great literature," the guidelines say. "You are communicating requirements, how to get benefits, how to stay safe and healthy, and other information to help people in their lives. While there is no problem with being expressive, most federal writing has no place for literary flair. People do not curl up in front of the fire with a nice federal regulation to have a relaxing read.""
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/05/19/feds-stop-writing-gibberish-new-law/#ixzz1N7HNCCvA
The government writers are now instructed: ""Federal writers are not supposed to be creating great literature," the guidelines say. "You are communicating requirements, how to get benefits, how to stay safe and healthy, and other information to help people in their lives. While there is no problem with being expressive, most federal writing has no place for literary flair. People do not curl up in front of the fire with a nice federal regulation to have a relaxing read.""
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Did I just read that?
"4. Unused Stockings
Create a chic shrug by taking a pair of tights or stockings and cutting off the feet (or use a pair of footless tights to save a step). Place arms where legs would normally go and—voila!—you’ve created a sleek spring alternative to a shawl or cardigan. Take it a step further by cutting slashes into the fabric, à la Monique Lhuillier’s ballerina-inspired fall 2009 collection. Photo: Imaxtree"
Create a chic shrug by taking a pair of tights or stockings and cutting off the feet (or use a pair of footless tights to save a step). Place arms where legs would normally go and—voila!—you’ve created a sleek spring alternative to a shawl or cardigan. Take it a step further by cutting slashes into the fabric, à la Monique Lhuillier’s ballerina-inspired fall 2009 collection. Photo: Imaxtree"
And, pray tell, what do you do with your HEAD? I mentally followed these instructions and discovered there was that seam across the crotch of the tights going right down my face. Reminded me of the time my Grandma put a stocking over her face and then pulled up.......
Friday, May 20, 2011
Author Bios
So, I've mentioned before at least one author bio that was WAY off the mark--into the realm of offensive.
I consistently find LDS authors don't quite "get" what an appropriate bio is (partially, I think, because their audience expects information that isn't really appropriate, and mostly because the publisher they all work with--Covenant--is probably insistent on it).
So I'm always on the lookout for GOOD author bios, to give balance (and in case I ever get to teach again).
This one wins:
http://www.babble.com/toddler/toddler-development/questions-for-parents-from-SAHM/
"With a British mother and an American father, Heather Rigby has been a nomad her entire life. She loves reading and good quality European chocolate, preferably at the same time. And, as a stay at home mom of two young daughters, she uses her degree in Criminology to solve serious mysteries, like why her cell phone keeps turning up in the fridge."
I consistently find LDS authors don't quite "get" what an appropriate bio is (partially, I think, because their audience expects information that isn't really appropriate, and mostly because the publisher they all work with--Covenant--is probably insistent on it).
So I'm always on the lookout for GOOD author bios, to give balance (and in case I ever get to teach again).
This one wins:
http://www.babble.com/toddler/toddler-development/questions-for-parents-from-SAHM/
"With a British mother and an American father, Heather Rigby has been a nomad her entire life. She loves reading and good quality European chocolate, preferably at the same time. And, as a stay at home mom of two young daughters, she uses her degree in Criminology to solve serious mysteries, like why her cell phone keeps turning up in the fridge."
Also, her picture was great.
Also her article had me laughing until I cried.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Did I just read that?
"Difficulty remembering names; This often gets worse before, during and after menopause" http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/women-197127-5.html?ap=825
Well, that pretty much covers a woman's whole life.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Unnatural "beauty"
I've been doing a lot of fashion research, trying to nail down the right "look" for Tim's groups. I also skim news and pictures of stars, looking at the same things (even though I think it's gross that we take performers, turn them into characters in the cultural story, and then treat them as no human ought to be treated).
I've noticed a few things that are mildly distressing because they are completely unnatural for women, and they are being pushed as the definition of "beauty".
For example:
Women who are in their 20s or 30s who are as thin as and shaped like 13 year olds, but with the breasts of a nursing mother. Minus the baby. Women are not shaped like this. It's even more extreme than the Barbie Doll shape. Barbie's unnatural, but at least she has hips!
Orange skin. Seriously--who thought this was natural? It's only subtly orange, and I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be a "healthy" tan, but it's ugly. Humans come in all shades of brown naturally, and all of them are beautiful, from the palest cream to the darkest chocolate. But orange is not one of the shades humans naturally grow in. Why do we put orange makeup on our faces and orange-tone paint on our skin?
Dark tans on normally pale women. Yuck. Looks terrible. Who decided this was "beautiful"?
That one nose. You've seen it all over and probably not noticed, but you should. Scroll though pictures of stars and starlets and you'll notice they all have the same nose. Not only is it unnatural for two people to have completely identical noses, the nose they all have is one that doesn't appear in nature. Who decided this was beautiful?
Processed hair. Some colored hair is so natural that it still is soft and graceful. I'm not opposed to that. Some blow-dried, permed, straightened, curled hair is truly beautiful. It's not that. It's the hair that's so messed with it looks scratchy and uncomfortable to touch. Hair that has been bleached to an unnatural shade of blonde. Hair that is so full of goop that it stands up at unnatural angles. Bi-colored hair in different colors (black and white? really?). I actually find oddly-colored hair (blue, pink, purple) more attractive than what a lot of people do to their heads in the name of "beauty".
Racoon eyes. What are we trying to do, look like cartoon characters? Human eyes are outlined--by lashes. Not by charcoal on the upper and lower lids. It really isn't pretty, no matter how many stars do it.
I'm not opposed to makeup, but I think makeup should enhance women's natural beauty, not try to transform them into dolls or cartoons. So when I see women with lipstick on that is paler than a natural lip color, I wonder why they do that. It's really ugly. Especially when paired with racoon eyes.
I don't think it's a favor to women in general, and to our daughters in specific, that we accept these plastic, misshapen, discolored women as "beautiful." Healthy women have to do very little, actually, to look truly beautiful. It's too bad we don't train our eyes to see this natural beauty all around us and instead train all these true beauties to think they have to be something unnatural in order to be acceptable.
It's like we're telling the world that cheap silk roses are so much better than the real thing!
I've noticed a few things that are mildly distressing because they are completely unnatural for women, and they are being pushed as the definition of "beauty".
For example:
Women who are in their 20s or 30s who are as thin as and shaped like 13 year olds, but with the breasts of a nursing mother. Minus the baby. Women are not shaped like this. It's even more extreme than the Barbie Doll shape. Barbie's unnatural, but at least she has hips!
Orange skin. Seriously--who thought this was natural? It's only subtly orange, and I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be a "healthy" tan, but it's ugly. Humans come in all shades of brown naturally, and all of them are beautiful, from the palest cream to the darkest chocolate. But orange is not one of the shades humans naturally grow in. Why do we put orange makeup on our faces and orange-tone paint on our skin?
Dark tans on normally pale women. Yuck. Looks terrible. Who decided this was "beautiful"?
That one nose. You've seen it all over and probably not noticed, but you should. Scroll though pictures of stars and starlets and you'll notice they all have the same nose. Not only is it unnatural for two people to have completely identical noses, the nose they all have is one that doesn't appear in nature. Who decided this was beautiful?
Processed hair. Some colored hair is so natural that it still is soft and graceful. I'm not opposed to that. Some blow-dried, permed, straightened, curled hair is truly beautiful. It's not that. It's the hair that's so messed with it looks scratchy and uncomfortable to touch. Hair that has been bleached to an unnatural shade of blonde. Hair that is so full of goop that it stands up at unnatural angles. Bi-colored hair in different colors (black and white? really?). I actually find oddly-colored hair (blue, pink, purple) more attractive than what a lot of people do to their heads in the name of "beauty".
Racoon eyes. What are we trying to do, look like cartoon characters? Human eyes are outlined--by lashes. Not by charcoal on the upper and lower lids. It really isn't pretty, no matter how many stars do it.
I'm not opposed to makeup, but I think makeup should enhance women's natural beauty, not try to transform them into dolls or cartoons. So when I see women with lipstick on that is paler than a natural lip color, I wonder why they do that. It's really ugly. Especially when paired with racoon eyes.
I don't think it's a favor to women in general, and to our daughters in specific, that we accept these plastic, misshapen, discolored women as "beautiful." Healthy women have to do very little, actually, to look truly beautiful. It's too bad we don't train our eyes to see this natural beauty all around us and instead train all these true beauties to think they have to be something unnatural in order to be acceptable.
It's like we're telling the world that cheap silk roses are so much better than the real thing!
Wondering why women do this:
I see all the time on facebook grown women saying things like, "Love me some Colin Firth," or "Gotta get my Colin Firth Fix" or other equally gushing/lustful statements about popular figures, especially Mr. Firth and the actors/characters in the Twilight series movies. These are not teeny boppers. These are mostly not twenty-something singles. These are thirty-something, married women, openly, droolingly lusting over a 50-year-old married man who has three children (who happened to play a Jane Austen character that they all are in love with) or a 19-year-old werewolf kid.
I always brushed it off as something that makes me uncomfortable. But today a thought occurred to me: What do their husbands feel when these women make statements like that publicly?
I asked Tim, and he said, "If thirty-seven year old men said about Bella what thirty-seven year old women say about her boyfriend, the men would be put in jail. And yet women talk like that all the time and it is culturally condoned."
Honestly, if Tim said publicly on facebook or Twitter, "Oh. My. Gosh. Katy Perry. Sooooooo hot." I would be really really hurt. It would be a huge blow to my sense of worth, and it would tear down my ability to trust in the security of our relationship. It would be a VERY damaging thing. And yet, women do this to their husbands all the time. Why is that okay?
I don't think it IS okay.
Jesus said, "But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." Matthew 5:28. And you know, he didn't add, "But it's really good if a woman looks on a man to lust after him because it's a kind of bonding thing for all women to wish they could kiss the same man who happens to be married to someone else, or even one who is too young to marry."
Not only do I think it's not something men enjoy hearing their wives say, I don't think it's healthy for kids to hear their moms talking like that. What would that teach them? That you don't really love their father and the marriage could be over any minute? That's not something you want kids to think....Honestly, I NEVER heard my mother praise the physical appearance of a man other than my dad. If I had heard something like that, I would have spent my whole childhood nervous, unsure of whether my parents loved each other or not.
I think some things are best left not only unsaid, but unthought. And certainly not condoned by our culture.
I always brushed it off as something that makes me uncomfortable. But today a thought occurred to me: What do their husbands feel when these women make statements like that publicly?
I asked Tim, and he said, "If thirty-seven year old men said about Bella what thirty-seven year old women say about her boyfriend, the men would be put in jail. And yet women talk like that all the time and it is culturally condoned."
Honestly, if Tim said publicly on facebook or Twitter, "Oh. My. Gosh. Katy Perry. Sooooooo hot." I would be really really hurt. It would be a huge blow to my sense of worth, and it would tear down my ability to trust in the security of our relationship. It would be a VERY damaging thing. And yet, women do this to their husbands all the time. Why is that okay?
I don't think it IS okay.
Jesus said, "But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." Matthew 5:28. And you know, he didn't add, "But it's really good if a woman looks on a man to lust after him because it's a kind of bonding thing for all women to wish they could kiss the same man who happens to be married to someone else, or even one who is too young to marry."
Not only do I think it's not something men enjoy hearing their wives say, I don't think it's healthy for kids to hear their moms talking like that. What would that teach them? That you don't really love their father and the marriage could be over any minute? That's not something you want kids to think....Honestly, I NEVER heard my mother praise the physical appearance of a man other than my dad. If I had heard something like that, I would have spent my whole childhood nervous, unsure of whether my parents loved each other or not.
I think some things are best left not only unsaid, but unthought. And certainly not condoned by our culture.
Something I learned this weekend:
If you talk bad about someone else, it damages YOUR reputation more than theirs.
Just observing.
Just observing.
Benji says,
Watching me cutting Tim's hair, Benji suddenly said, "Mom, you have gray hair, too. That makes you creepy!"
Tim and I both stifled laughs.
(For the record, I have no gray hairs yet. Where did he get that?!)
Tim and I both stifled laughs.
(For the record, I have no gray hairs yet. Where did he get that?!)
Monday, May 16, 2011
Turkish Delight, revisited
So, we're reading Narnia again.
And, naturally, the kids wanted to try Turkish Delight again.
Last time was an unmitigated disaster.
But I learned a few things last time. The most important was that Turkish Delight is just another name for one of my mom's old favorite treats: Aplets and Cotlets. (Look up the history of the candy and you'll see I pegged it right on the money: http://www.libertyorchards.com/story--Locum is the original name of Turkish Delight; or see it here: http://www.libertyorchards.com/category/Turkish_Delights).
So I looked up "Turkish Delight" recipes again. More of the same that was so absolutely disgusting last time. Recipes that involve three things I didn't want to deal with: a cup of cornstarch in one 9x9 pan of candy (yuck!), delicate rosewater trying to mask the starchy taste (not a chance, plus I don't have any), and an hour of stirring involved in the process.
So I got smart: I looked up recipes for Aplets and Cotlets instead.
Bingo! Easy, fast recipe that ended up tasting great: http://recipeland.com/recipe/v/Aplets-And-Cotlets-3124
A few notes: We used blueberry pomegranate juice (find it in the freezer section at the grocery in concentrated form in plastic cans). I think you could use any flavor of juice you wanted. Cherry would be superb. I boiled it with the sugar as instructed. But then when we added the cornstarch/lemon juice mixture (I had no lime juice, so I used lemon juice for that amount, too), it immediately gelled when it hit the hot juice. I've never seen cornstarch do that before, so I fished it all out and made a new batch with a significantly larger amount of lemon juice. You could use water. Make it thinnish and pourable. I used 3 packets of unflavored gelatin, and this worked marvelously. You do have to stir it constantly for the 10 minutes mentioned because it thickens faster on the bottom of the pot (into an honest-to-goodness fruit snack, like you find at the store, which will stick to your spoon). Use a long-handled spoon and a great deal of caution (chemistry safety goggles would be a good idea....) because when this boils, it spits hot gelatinous gunk at you. Scary! Once it starts boiling, turn the temperature down to low to save your arms and face from burns, and don't let the kids help with that part. It really does have to sit 12 hours or overnight (bummer!) but it came out soft and sticky and tasting great.
Really, though, if you want to give the kids a Turkish Delight experience without the mess, you could just order some Aplets and Cotlets (http://www.libertyorchards.com/?gclid=CPWR7aq77KgCFQkLbAodgygKDA--they have irregularly shaped ones for pretty cheap), or feed them jelly beans--the gooey inside stuff is Turkish Delight. Or, easier yet, give them fruit snacks. They aren't exactly the same, but it's a very clear descendant of the Victorian candy delight.
And, naturally, the kids wanted to try Turkish Delight again.
Last time was an unmitigated disaster.
But I learned a few things last time. The most important was that Turkish Delight is just another name for one of my mom's old favorite treats: Aplets and Cotlets. (Look up the history of the candy and you'll see I pegged it right on the money: http://www.libertyorchards.com/story--Locum is the original name of Turkish Delight; or see it here: http://www.libertyorchards.com/category/Turkish_Delights).
So I looked up "Turkish Delight" recipes again. More of the same that was so absolutely disgusting last time. Recipes that involve three things I didn't want to deal with: a cup of cornstarch in one 9x9 pan of candy (yuck!), delicate rosewater trying to mask the starchy taste (not a chance, plus I don't have any), and an hour of stirring involved in the process.
So I got smart: I looked up recipes for Aplets and Cotlets instead.
Bingo! Easy, fast recipe that ended up tasting great: http://recipeland.com/recipe/v/Aplets-And-Cotlets-3124
A few notes: We used blueberry pomegranate juice (find it in the freezer section at the grocery in concentrated form in plastic cans). I think you could use any flavor of juice you wanted. Cherry would be superb. I boiled it with the sugar as instructed. But then when we added the cornstarch/lemon juice mixture (I had no lime juice, so I used lemon juice for that amount, too), it immediately gelled when it hit the hot juice. I've never seen cornstarch do that before, so I fished it all out and made a new batch with a significantly larger amount of lemon juice. You could use water. Make it thinnish and pourable. I used 3 packets of unflavored gelatin, and this worked marvelously. You do have to stir it constantly for the 10 minutes mentioned because it thickens faster on the bottom of the pot (into an honest-to-goodness fruit snack, like you find at the store, which will stick to your spoon). Use a long-handled spoon and a great deal of caution (chemistry safety goggles would be a good idea....) because when this boils, it spits hot gelatinous gunk at you. Scary! Once it starts boiling, turn the temperature down to low to save your arms and face from burns, and don't let the kids help with that part. It really does have to sit 12 hours or overnight (bummer!) but it came out soft and sticky and tasting great.
Really, though, if you want to give the kids a Turkish Delight experience without the mess, you could just order some Aplets and Cotlets (http://www.libertyorchards.com/?gclid=CPWR7aq77KgCFQkLbAodgygKDA--they have irregularly shaped ones for pretty cheap), or feed them jelly beans--the gooey inside stuff is Turkish Delight. Or, easier yet, give them fruit snacks. They aren't exactly the same, but it's a very clear descendant of the Victorian candy delight.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Did I just read that?
"Barking provokes Tabiona town leader, kills dog"
His bark was deadly....to himself.
And, in the actual article: "Rickey Evin Wilberg, 58, was booked Friday into the Duchesne County Jail for investigation of animal cruelty and intoxication."
And, in the actual article: "Rickey Evin Wilberg, 58, was booked Friday into the Duchesne County Jail for investigation of animal cruelty and intoxication."
He got the dog drunk and was mean to it. And that's illegal.
Did I just read that?
"Woman beheaded in supermarket attack described as full of life" (This is how the headline appeared as a suggested reading at the bottom of a different article on CNN. It's different in the actual article.)
Funny. Most of us, upon losing our heads, would be described as dead.
Did I just read that?
"Before she was toting six kids around the world as a UN Ambassador, Angelina Jolie was toting a vile of blood around her neck that belonged to her second husband Billy Bob Thornton. "
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/slideshow/entertainment/2011/05/14/pippa-moments/#ixzz1MPNy9s97
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/slideshow/entertainment/2011/05/14/pippa-moments/#ixzz1MPNy9s97
Vile indeed.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Did I just read that?
"Fibromyalgia to cause 'bone-crushing fatigue'" http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=15534055
Is it going to start doing that, now, too? Nice of them to give us a little warning....
Friday, May 13, 2011
Lyrics
Tim once told me that poetry and lyrics are two different things.
With other artists producing songs with lyrics like, "Baby baby baby baby baby" (that's all), it's hard not to see Tim's songs as poetry, though.
One of the reviewers who saw his show said that he is "The best lyricist in A cappella today."
Another said, "Part stand-up comedy, part poetry slam, and part performance art, Vocal Magic was like nothing I had ever seen before. My first thought: If T.S. Eliot could have sang and Allan Ginsberg had known how to beatbox and been stuck in one body, they could have been reincarnated as Mister Tim."
Consistently, English majors (and past English majors) love to talk to Tim after his shows about the meaning of his lyrics--they're fun to play with, think about, parse, discuss, analyze, dig deeper into. Just like poetry.
Some of my favorite phrases of all time (Yes, I have favorite phrases that just delight my tongue and mind--I'm a poetry lover, after all!) were written by Tim.
Phrases I love (all from his newest releases--http://listn.to/MisterTim--you can have a "scavenger hunt" to see if you can hear them all). Say them out loud to get the full impact. Tim has an unusual sense of rhythm, and a superb sense of rhyme. It's truly a delight.
With other artists producing songs with lyrics like, "Baby baby baby baby baby" (that's all), it's hard not to see Tim's songs as poetry, though.
One of the reviewers who saw his show said that he is "The best lyricist in A cappella today."
Another said, "Part stand-up comedy, part poetry slam, and part performance art, Vocal Magic was like nothing I had ever seen before. My first thought: If T.S. Eliot could have sang and Allan Ginsberg had known how to beatbox and been stuck in one body, they could have been reincarnated as Mister Tim."
Consistently, English majors (and past English majors) love to talk to Tim after his shows about the meaning of his lyrics--they're fun to play with, think about, parse, discuss, analyze, dig deeper into. Just like poetry.
Some of my favorite phrases of all time (Yes, I have favorite phrases that just delight my tongue and mind--I'm a poetry lover, after all!) were written by Tim.
Phrases I love (all from his newest releases--http://listn.to/MisterTim--you can have a "scavenger hunt" to see if you can hear them all). Say them out loud to get the full impact. Tim has an unusual sense of rhythm, and a superb sense of rhyme. It's truly a delight.
My favorite phrases:
"Seems like feelin' out of place is the place to be"
"Let me out, let me out;
Let me in, let me in"
"a garrison of Geek"
"With your heart in your head,
and your head in your hand
as the centuries fade
into futures of sand--
This is it--
I bang bang bang on the door."
"Sucker punch with a ballerina shotgun;
trust in the dude you conclude he has got one"
"Am I free or am I mistaken?"
"From Chaos springs a bud--a fruit to enjoy all alone."
"Pulling a fast one but not fast enough"
"Madness saunters in wearing tattered purple robes;
Yesterday a throne--today a crock of old confusion"
I love that in the song, "Down and Down," every pair of words has two meanings (Down and down, Sound and sound, Groan and Grown, No and Know). It makes so many layers of meaning!
"Where or whether has the sparrow flown?"
"Basket case, take the cake"
"I appreciate your willingness to propagate misinformation"
"Shakespeare wrote about tragic and comic and magic and alls well that ends well.
I don't understand the message you're sending. I don't dare demand Shakespearean ending."
This one even reads like a poem:
"Softly how the wind blows through the trees.
Softly hear the falling of the leaves.
Softly let your heart enjoy the passing of the stream.
Until the scream.
Running through my mind
I stumble out into the blinding light
of noon-day sunshine burning me,
the blazing light of entropy.
I see.
When the storm beats,
blows out to sea,
Softly how the wind blows through the trees.
Softly hear the falling of the leaves.
Softly draw your breath and feel
The passing of the dream."
"Vapid mouths were filled with weeds"
"I heard the mob of Zombies shout;
they laughed and laughed and laughed
as blood ran out."
"Their stoic faces hid their contraband"
"Real time realtors sell your soul by the acre"
"Cassanova Frankenstein
is out the window making time
with all the ladies"
"Look at the aggregate
Grossly inadequate"
"There was a time when all the funky in the forest couldn't phase me
Catastrophe didn't bother me
Even though the doctor said we could go crazy.
The more I learn, the less I understand.
Not sure why I feel a phenomenal feeling."
"Sixteen rabbis, three dead priests, and a Quaker."
I think "funky in the forest didn't phase me" and "Catastrophe didn't bother me" are some of my favorite phrases written in all of English EVER.
New Music!!!!!
Tim went into the studio on Tuesday at 2:00 to finish his CD he's been working on for a week. He came home on Thursday at 5:00 pm, 51 hours (including a break to go do a show, and with only 4 spent sleeping) later.
But he finished his CD.
New songs.
New arrangements.
Gooooooood stuff.
You can listen to it all here: http://listn.to/MisterTim
It sends you through facebook, but you don't have to join facebook or log in or be a member to listen. Just scroll down past the image of the CD art (Tim designed that, too) to the menu of songs and listen to your heart's delight.
It's good stuff.
But he finished his CD.
New songs.
New arrangements.
Gooooooood stuff.
You can listen to it all here: http://listn.to/MisterTim
It sends you through facebook, but you don't have to join facebook or log in or be a member to listen. Just scroll down past the image of the CD art (Tim designed that, too) to the menu of songs and listen to your heart's delight.
It's good stuff.
Benji says,
So, Benji, being Benji, has determined that the most appropriate place to....uh....pee...is the back balcony, right off the dining room. This is the only path to the back yard.
So today, when he did it yet again, I pulled him aside and tried to explain why he shouldn't do that.
"See, Benji, if you really really won't pee in the potty, you can pee in the yard, but it HAS to go into the grass. You can't pee on the balcony any more. Not ever. Nobody wants to walk in a puddle of pee."
"No," Benji said. "It's okay. They do. See?"
And he immediately stepped into the puddle of pee in his bare feet. (EEEWWWW!)
"See? They do. See?" he said. And he tracked pee footprints all over the balcony.
Benji: 2
Mommy: 0
So today, when he did it yet again, I pulled him aside and tried to explain why he shouldn't do that.
"See, Benji, if you really really won't pee in the potty, you can pee in the yard, but it HAS to go into the grass. You can't pee on the balcony any more. Not ever. Nobody wants to walk in a puddle of pee."
"No," Benji said. "It's okay. They do. See?"
And he immediately stepped into the puddle of pee in his bare feet. (EEEWWWW!)
"See? They do. See?" he said. And he tracked pee footprints all over the balcony.
Benji: 2
Mommy: 0
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Benji says,
Singing "Lollipop":
"Oh I love my lollipop,
I'll tell you why,
If you don't like your dinner,
Lollipop tastes great!"
"Oh I love my lollipop,
I'll tell you why,
If you don't like your dinner,
Lollipop tastes great!"
Making Bread
I've been making bread for 3 years now, almost every day, and I've grown increasingly frustrated at how quickly it dries out (sometimes within 12 hours). I was also frustrated with how many crumbs it dropped when we cut it, but I thought there was no solution to that.
But I figured there must be a solution to the drying out.
I did a little research online and then messed with my recipe. In addition to 1/4 c sugar, I put in 1/8 c (or so--I just glopped some in) of honey. And instead of the oil, I put in 1/2 c (or so, I just scooped a bunch in ) of solid shortening (not melted). And then I was careful not to overdo the amount of flour. Too much flour makes solid, dense loaves. Too little makes them not rise enough, so they end up kind of squat, but this time I drifted toward too little rather than too much.
I always make two loaves on a cookie sheet, and they tend to grow to touch in the oven and have to be torn apart, so this time I let them cool together and then tore them apart and let them rest in bags on the torn side overnight, so no moisture would be lost out the tear.
And today, the bread is astonishingly good. That's probably partially because of the double-dose of sweetness, with the honey and the sugar, but it's also because it's unbelievably soft--softer, even, than the freshest bread using my other recipe. And, surprisingly, no crumbs when we cut it. None. At all.
Might have to try that recipe again....
But I figured there must be a solution to the drying out.
I did a little research online and then messed with my recipe. In addition to 1/4 c sugar, I put in 1/8 c (or so--I just glopped some in) of honey. And instead of the oil, I put in 1/2 c (or so, I just scooped a bunch in ) of solid shortening (not melted). And then I was careful not to overdo the amount of flour. Too much flour makes solid, dense loaves. Too little makes them not rise enough, so they end up kind of squat, but this time I drifted toward too little rather than too much.
I always make two loaves on a cookie sheet, and they tend to grow to touch in the oven and have to be torn apart, so this time I let them cool together and then tore them apart and let them rest in bags on the torn side overnight, so no moisture would be lost out the tear.
And today, the bread is astonishingly good. That's probably partially because of the double-dose of sweetness, with the honey and the sugar, but it's also because it's unbelievably soft--softer, even, than the freshest bread using my other recipe. And, surprisingly, no crumbs when we cut it. None. At all.
Might have to try that recipe again....
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Did I just read that?
From craigslist today: "Tent - 1/2 person, warm weather - (Boulder the Hill)"
Great if there's only half of you who wants to camp!
Great if there's only half of you who wants to camp!
Monday, May 09, 2011
Caleb says,
Explaining why he STILL hasn't gotten through his reading assignment from "A Christmas Carol" today, and instead I keep finding him running through the house (which he does when he's thinking):
"I don't hate Dickens. It's just that his writing is so dang detailed that I get ideas."
(Is that good--he's opening new vistas for Caleb to explore, or bad--he's boring and Caleb is distracted? Perhaps such diplomatic expressions will land Caleb a career in politics.)
"I don't hate Dickens. It's just that his writing is so dang detailed that I get ideas."
(Is that good--he's opening new vistas for Caleb to explore, or bad--he's boring and Caleb is distracted? Perhaps such diplomatic expressions will land Caleb a career in politics.)
Sunday, May 08, 2011
Mothers
Came home from a very difficult day at church and sat down to space out and found this:
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700133244/The-Influence-of-Mothers.html?pg=1
You really really need to read it.
She just gets it.
An excerpt, to convince you to click the link and go read the whole article:
"Truth #4: Satan is real, and he has declared war on women.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700133244/The-Influence-of-Mothers.html?pg=1
You really really need to read it.
She just gets it.
An excerpt, to convince you to click the link and go read the whole article:
"Truth #4: Satan is real, and he has declared war on women.
The adversary understands full well that those who rock the cradle are strategically positioned to rock his diabolical empire. Thus, today his destructive myths about women and mothers abound. Here are just three:
Myth #1: Men are more important and have all the power, so if women want to have influence they should be more like men.
Myth #2: A woman's value is based solely on size and shape.
Myth #3: The only worthwhile validation comes from outside the home, and thus, motherhood is a waste of any talented woman's time.
Too many women have bought these lies. Our culture is disintegrating at the speed of light, and regrettably, the female gender is doing its share of the damage. Sleazy women who flaunt their indiscretions jam the airwaves and monopolize magazine covers.
Other distortions are equally troubling. One prominent magazine annually publishes its "100 Most Powerful Women" cover story. Almost every woman mentioned is a politician, entertainer or CEO. I mean no disrespect to any of these women. What I dispute is the distortion that in order to have influence, a woman must have money, fame or a title. That is a lie!
External validation has short-term value at best. It's difficult to hug an award. No one from the office will call on Mothers Day to thank you for changing their life. There world's praise pales when compared to the joy of family.
Truth #5: Mothers have more influence than they realize."
Mother's Day
We all listened to the talks this Mother's Day. I suspect they were the same in every ward across the nation.
And I came to this conclusion:
Some day, I hope my kids will thank me because I'm NOT one of those moms. Not that being one of those moms is bad. It's not. It's just that I'm not that, and I hope my kids are glad for what I gave them that one of those moms couldn't. Even if I never taught them to love washing the dishes or practicing piano.
And I'm not sorry.
And I came to this conclusion:
Some day, I hope my kids will thank me because I'm NOT one of those moms. Not that being one of those moms is bad. It's not. It's just that I'm not that, and I hope my kids are glad for what I gave them that one of those moms couldn't. Even if I never taught them to love washing the dishes or practicing piano.
And I'm not sorry.
Friday, May 06, 2011
Did I just read that?
From a survey I was taking online for Deseret Book:
Well now, how could I read it if it's fictional?
Deseret Book should have known better......
Did I just read that?
From KSL.com: "Judge says London bomb victims unlawfully killed"
Which suggests that there is a lawful way to kill people with bombs....
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Step one of my website, DONE
I decided to make my curricula (the ones I created for my children last fall) accessible to everyone (and my kids) with a fun interface that's easy to use.
I also improved the curriculum some, taking out broken or stupid links, fixing the order of some of the lessons, improving the science, art, and music immensely, and upgrading the reading and math.
I've only finished the playschool so far, but for toddlers (ages 1-3), it's REALLY fun. My 2 yo begs me to turn on his "green school."
https://sites.google.com/site/learninglynxclassroom/playschool
Go have a look. Let your kids play. It's fun.
Hopefully I'll have more grades coming up soon. It's just a LOT of work. But all my big kids looked at it and said, "Can I do Learning Lynx Classroom next year, too?" So I'm plugging away at it, trying to get Pre-k through 5 done by the end of August.
I also improved the curriculum some, taking out broken or stupid links, fixing the order of some of the lessons, improving the science, art, and music immensely, and upgrading the reading and math.
I've only finished the playschool so far, but for toddlers (ages 1-3), it's REALLY fun. My 2 yo begs me to turn on his "green school."
https://sites.google.com/site/learninglynxclassroom/playschool
Go have a look. Let your kids play. It's fun.
Hopefully I'll have more grades coming up soon. It's just a LOT of work. But all my big kids looked at it and said, "Can I do Learning Lynx Classroom next year, too?" So I'm plugging away at it, trying to get Pre-k through 5 done by the end of August.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Burying Bin Laden
Yesterday, I thought it was insensitive of all the liberals I know to scold everyone for rejoicing in a major victory in a war. I know they don't approve of the war at all, but scolding everyone is in poor taste, especially since there are families of thousands of people who had a lot of sorrow because of the plots of this man, and many more who have had scares because of plots related to him and other terrorists.
Today it was less grating to hear the "Hey, don't dance on his grave" things that popped up everywhere. Today it was more appropriate.
Today I read about what they did with bin Laden's body, and also read several interviews with family members of those who died on 9/11 who were irate about it. They wanted to SEE his body. Several quotes revealed people who were (and are) clearly being consumed with anger.
Is spitting on someone's grave worse than dancing on it?
Anyway, I was really really glad about how the government and the armed forces handled the body. The did not turn it into a sideshow. They didn't parade it through the nation for people to vilify. They didn't make it a point of anger or rage or spectacle.
They buried it respectfully according to the customs and religion of the man they had killed.
And that was the right thing to do.
For one thing, it keeps us, as a nation, safer. If we parade the body through America, that does nothing for our righteousness and it gives other people in the world good cause to rally against us, instead of with us, against evil. If we leave it with his own people, though, they have a martyr they can show off, and a grave that becomes a shrine where pilgrims come. It becomes a rallying point, physically--a place that people can visit and remember and meet likeminded souls.
For another, it shows some dignity. If we are out purely to defend ourselves (not for revenge), then it is important to act like that, to treat cultures and souls with respect, and to not let our actions be controlled by sensationalism, cruelty, or anger. We defend ourselves. We should not delight in bloodshed.
Am I glad he's gone? Yes. Am I glad he got a decent, human burial according to his own customs? Absolutely. Do I feel sorry for him? Deeply.
He's got a lot of angry people to face on the other side, including the woman he used as a shield, the 3000 who died in the twin towers. And probably even his own God.
Today it was less grating to hear the "Hey, don't dance on his grave" things that popped up everywhere. Today it was more appropriate.
Today I read about what they did with bin Laden's body, and also read several interviews with family members of those who died on 9/11 who were irate about it. They wanted to SEE his body. Several quotes revealed people who were (and are) clearly being consumed with anger.
Is spitting on someone's grave worse than dancing on it?
Anyway, I was really really glad about how the government and the armed forces handled the body. The did not turn it into a sideshow. They didn't parade it through the nation for people to vilify. They didn't make it a point of anger or rage or spectacle.
They buried it respectfully according to the customs and religion of the man they had killed.
And that was the right thing to do.
For one thing, it keeps us, as a nation, safer. If we parade the body through America, that does nothing for our righteousness and it gives other people in the world good cause to rally against us, instead of with us, against evil. If we leave it with his own people, though, they have a martyr they can show off, and a grave that becomes a shrine where pilgrims come. It becomes a rallying point, physically--a place that people can visit and remember and meet likeminded souls.
For another, it shows some dignity. If we are out purely to defend ourselves (not for revenge), then it is important to act like that, to treat cultures and souls with respect, and to not let our actions be controlled by sensationalism, cruelty, or anger. We defend ourselves. We should not delight in bloodshed.
Am I glad he's gone? Yes. Am I glad he got a decent, human burial according to his own customs? Absolutely. Do I feel sorry for him? Deeply.
He's got a lot of angry people to face on the other side, including the woman he used as a shield, the 3000 who died in the twin towers. And probably even his own God.
THROAT
This is video of Tim's "new" group (not really new to us--it's been in development for 5 years) winning the 2011 Rocky Mountain Harmony Sweepstakes:
Monday, May 02, 2011
Job Satisfaction
Tim and I were just talking about this topic, and apparently we weren't the only people thinking about it: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=15385917
Tim often gets asked to speak to youth on following your dreams. And the reality is, we believe in following your dreams. AS A HOBBY. Not as a career. So it's a little awkward when he's asked to speak on that topic.
The reality is, people should follow their interests, their talents, their abilities in searching for a career. But they should also plan to do something practical that can support a family. Something reasonable that contributes to society and to their own well-being. They should get an education. They should get job training.
I'm not saying people should plan their career based on what makes money. Doing something that is very difficult that you have no interest in whatsoever is a recipe for misery. And failure. Why condemn yourself that way?
But it is reasonable to expect to do a job you can stand to do, and find ways to enjoy it just like the article said. And then to pursue our passions and our dreams on the side.
Dreams and passions are for joy, for happiness, to enrich our lives. Not necessarily for a career.
Tim often gets asked to speak to youth on following your dreams. And the reality is, we believe in following your dreams. AS A HOBBY. Not as a career. So it's a little awkward when he's asked to speak on that topic.
The reality is, people should follow their interests, their talents, their abilities in searching for a career. But they should also plan to do something practical that can support a family. Something reasonable that contributes to society and to their own well-being. They should get an education. They should get job training.
I'm not saying people should plan their career based on what makes money. Doing something that is very difficult that you have no interest in whatsoever is a recipe for misery. And failure. Why condemn yourself that way?
But it is reasonable to expect to do a job you can stand to do, and find ways to enjoy it just like the article said. And then to pursue our passions and our dreams on the side.
Dreams and passions are for joy, for happiness, to enrich our lives. Not necessarily for a career.
War is awful stuff
So they got him--they got Osama bin Laden, who they say was the chief head honcho who was out to destroy our nation.
And many of my smartest friends are condemning the people who are rejoicing, all of them by quoting scriptures about how we're not supposed to rejoice at the death of a wicked man. I am not disputing that we shouldn't rejoice at the death of a wicked man, nor that we shouldn't glory in killing, nor that it is right to love your enemies and do good to them that despitefully use you.
But it is also a commandment for men to protect their families (see the Proclamation to the World).
And while there are times that we are instructed to lay down and let our enemies kill us, there are other times, too, when we defend our liberty.
For example, "And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery;Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people.Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood. Now the Nephites were taught to defend themselves against their enemies, even to the shedding of blood if it were necessary; yea, and they were also taught never to give an offense, yea, and never to raise the sword except it were against an enemy, except it were to preserve their lives. And this was their faith, that by so doing God would prosper them in the land, or in other words, if they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in the land; yea, warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their danger; And also, that God would make it known unto them whither they should go to defend themselves against their enemies, and by so doing, the Lord would deliver them; and this was the faith of Moroni, and his heart did glory in it; not in the shedding of blood but in doing good, in preserving his people, yea, in keeping the commandments of God, yea, and resisting iniquity."
I would like to suggest that perhaps people are rejoicing in their liberty that the death of the figurehead of the enemies represents, rather than in his death as a human being. And that is not wrong.
Alma 58:12 says, "And we did take courage with our small force which we had received, and were fixed with a determination to conquer our enemies, and to maintain our lands, and our possessions, and our wives, and our children, and the cause of our liberty."
These righteous prophets were determined to conquer their enemies. Is it wrong, then for us to have the same determination--not to glory in their destruction, but to secure our liberty to worship our God, to raise our families, to live our lives safe from the continued attempts at destruction we've dealt with for the past ten years? This is not a sinful pursuit.
Alma 53:7, the Stripling Warriors "entered into a covenant to fight for the liberty of the Nephites, yea, to protect the land unto the laying down of their lives; yea, even they covenanted that they never would give up their liberty, but they would fight in all cases to protect the Nephites and themselves from bondage." Why enter into such a covenant if they had no reasonable hope of success--even if it meant someone somewhere was going to die or else they were? Again, these are our HEROES.
In fact, it is so RIGHT to defend ourselves (including rejoicing when God grants us victory, mind you) that Moroni "Moroni commanded that his army should go against those king-men, to pull down their pride and their nobility and level them with the earth, or they should take up arms and support the cause of liberty. " (Alma 51:17). In Alma 60, Moroni again condemns a government who refuses to defend its people, letting thousands die.
Thousands of Americans have died at the hands of our enemies. While it is, indeed, wrong to rejoice in the death of the wicked, there is nothing wrong with defending our liberty and rejoicing when a victory is won, even if it's not the end of the war.
And many of my smartest friends are condemning the people who are rejoicing, all of them by quoting scriptures about how we're not supposed to rejoice at the death of a wicked man. I am not disputing that we shouldn't rejoice at the death of a wicked man, nor that we shouldn't glory in killing, nor that it is right to love your enemies and do good to them that despitefully use you.
But it is also a commandment for men to protect their families (see the Proclamation to the World).
And while there are times that we are instructed to lay down and let our enemies kill us, there are other times, too, when we defend our liberty.
For example, "And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery;Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people.Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood. Now the Nephites were taught to defend themselves against their enemies, even to the shedding of blood if it were necessary; yea, and they were also taught never to give an offense, yea, and never to raise the sword except it were against an enemy, except it were to preserve their lives. And this was their faith, that by so doing God would prosper them in the land, or in other words, if they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in the land; yea, warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their danger; And also, that God would make it known unto them whither they should go to defend themselves against their enemies, and by so doing, the Lord would deliver them; and this was the faith of Moroni, and his heart did glory in it; not in the shedding of blood but in doing good, in preserving his people, yea, in keeping the commandments of God, yea, and resisting iniquity."
I would like to suggest that perhaps people are rejoicing in their liberty that the death of the figurehead of the enemies represents, rather than in his death as a human being. And that is not wrong.
Alma 58:12 says, "And we did take courage with our small force which we had received, and were fixed with a determination to conquer our enemies, and to maintain our lands, and our possessions, and our wives, and our children, and the cause of our liberty."
These righteous prophets were determined to conquer their enemies. Is it wrong, then for us to have the same determination--not to glory in their destruction, but to secure our liberty to worship our God, to raise our families, to live our lives safe from the continued attempts at destruction we've dealt with for the past ten years? This is not a sinful pursuit.
Alma 53:7, the Stripling Warriors "entered into a covenant to fight for the liberty of the Nephites, yea, to protect the land unto the laying down of their lives; yea, even they covenanted that they never would give up their liberty, but they would fight in all cases to protect the Nephites and themselves from bondage." Why enter into such a covenant if they had no reasonable hope of success--even if it meant someone somewhere was going to die or else they were? Again, these are our HEROES.
In fact, it is so RIGHT to defend ourselves (including rejoicing when God grants us victory, mind you) that Moroni "Moroni commanded that his army should go against those king-men, to pull down their pride and their nobility and level them with the earth, or they should take up arms and support the cause of liberty. " (Alma 51:17). In Alma 60, Moroni again condemns a government who refuses to defend its people, letting thousands die.
Thousands of Americans have died at the hands of our enemies. While it is, indeed, wrong to rejoice in the death of the wicked, there is nothing wrong with defending our liberty and rejoicing when a victory is won, even if it's not the end of the war.
Sunday, May 01, 2011
All I can do is sigh.
Tonight it smelled like snow and was ice cold outside.
I have no idea what motivated Benji, consequently, to take all his clothes off (ALL) and go out back to pee down the balcony stairs into the yard. At 1:30 am. (Not that I would have understood peeing down the stairs at any other time of day....).
So then Nathanael came by and, seeing the door open in the middle of the night, closed it so tightly that Benji couldn't get back in.
We had no idea he was out there until I heard him and turned. There he was, buck naked out on the back porch with his face pressed against the glass of the door, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Mom! Mom! Let me in. Please let me in!"
At 1:30 am.
Sigh.
I have no idea what motivated Benji, consequently, to take all his clothes off (ALL) and go out back to pee down the balcony stairs into the yard. At 1:30 am. (Not that I would have understood peeing down the stairs at any other time of day....).
So then Nathanael came by and, seeing the door open in the middle of the night, closed it so tightly that Benji couldn't get back in.
We had no idea he was out there until I heard him and turned. There he was, buck naked out on the back porch with his face pressed against the glass of the door, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Mom! Mom! Let me in. Please let me in!"
At 1:30 am.
Sigh.
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