Sad News

One of our favorite dog-customers passed away tonight.
Sophie died unexpectedly tonight after taking ill. The vet can't figure out why.

We are sad. Her family is more sad. God bless all the creatures of the earth. They give men such joy. She was a sweet and gentle one.

Multi-Task Monday Mania

Just a minute to make this post, as my day seems to have some humor in it...

What a multi-task Monday this is turning into.

Mondays are usually busy in that it is my big grocery shop (and put away) day. I also workout prior to the store in the morning.

My day so far:

Up twice in early hours with dogs who 'needed' go to out.

Up and ready for workout. Forgot to menu plan night before.

To workout. Feel really crummy (totm) so cut out after aerobics portion and head to grocery store.

At store, get a coffee and sit down to menu plan since I forgot yesterday.
Shop- lots of details as I use a coupon system and had to *think* as I went through the store.

Buy some totm meds (first time in years) because I felt SO mean this morning and laugh at myself as filling up water bottle refills thinking of the Raymond episode when he bought some for Debra.. lol So glad I got a laugh in, things were grim until then. :0

Home- boys unload all the bags and dh tells me I had a call from a dog-sit client. Need to go over asap and give meds and let out as owner was called out of town. Dog had a neck injury and is on pain meds.

Tell boys to do all the putting away they can, read the chapter I asked them to last night and be ready to discuss.

Put away perishable groceries.

Make up invoice for dog sit and head over. Sit and hang out with Jasper the dog.

Get home and finish putting away groceries.

Make post on UC about John Holt quote. Last night I woke up at 3am and was thinking hard on this and want input from my friends.

Start on Lighthouse work. Need to call and get delivery status on two orders (yeah!) I got Friday.

Write up plan for Lighthouse launch at my parish and submit.

Get call from another parish who bought the CDs but never 'launched'. Volunteer wants help so spend the rest of the afternoon writing a plan and parish annoucments for that parish. When it rains it pours!

Find time to straighten up house from the weekend.

Discuss first Chapter of Catholicism for Dummies with 16yos and share with him the UC discussions on eating meat on friday, or not.

And other stuff, I *had* planned to do today but may get put off:
Make up LOTR discussion questions for Friday
Call to find out vision beneifts and make appointments
Clean house (ok scratch that one off... another few days won't hurt anything)
Talk with S about high school progress.

Who says we ever have time to get bored? Well, only during the housework part.

What fun!

Hi Tech Hi-jinks

Ok, this was really funny.

Tonight my boys each had about 30 min of math to do on the computer. Also they had a long overdue thank you letter to write (jointly) for a Christmas gift from a relative. I hang out during the math to help them figure what problems to skip.

They try to minimize the amount of time this all takes, so came up with a plan.

While B does math, S addresses, stamps and puts return address on the envelope for the letter. While S does math, B writes the letter.

Well, B and I did math while S came in and out looking for stamps, addresses, etc.
Then, S came over to the computer and started math. B went upstairs to computer #2 to start the thank you note.

Soon, S and I were interrupted by an Instant Message. It was B, wondering if his letter was long enough. lol

He wrote that it was two paragraphs so far. What did it say? we asked. He cut and pasted and we read it. I made suggestions and we IM'd back.

Back to math. He IM'd again. Should he add that he is sorry it is late? Where? After about 4 or 5 more IMs we finally got back to math.

Then the printer on our desk fired up and out his letter came. Just was too funny!

Then down the stairs ran B. He grabbed the letter off the printer, gave it to S to sign, signed it himself,folded up and put it in the prepared envelope, S wrapped up his math and off they went.

Whoosh!

Time Gift

Well, I had a call this morning that was cancelled so have this little gift of time!

Maybe I will post an entry.

I am trying to add things to this blog that reflect our life. Where we are. Journalling I might not do in my spiral. My spiral tends to be very short entries. Oh, the other day a found a Word journal I started. It was so wonderful. It told of how our life was running then, what the boys were into, what dh was doing, what I was doing.

At risk boring all 6 of my readers, though, I need to find a happy medium. Blogs are interesting things- sometimes enigmas...

Ok, here is a snapshot of our life atm.

S is 16.5 yo. He is a head taller than me. I think back on what he was like as a baby, age 2, age, 5, age 10, etc and he is true to himself. I remember thinking what he would be like as a teen, back when he was younger, and I had not pictured it all. I had pictured some, but what I didn't see was the complete truth of his character. He is very honest and true. Deliberate and careful. Likes to take his time and do things right. Dry sense of humor. Loves his brother more than I could ever imagine a brother could.

B is 13.25yo. I love being around him. He is so sharp, often 3 steps ahead in my thinking. He catches on to things so quickly and the things that used to frustrate him have mellowed out. He has a tremendous sense of humor (as does S, but they are different in ways) and he really loves his brother.

They love to do everything together. As S says, he can anticipate what B is going to say or do by a look. They have a handful of very good friends that they befriend equally. And they are very good at choosing friends.. I shouldn't say 'choosing' so much as drawn to. They like boys who are interested in things as they are and like to talk about them. I am blessed as I never have to worry about bad influences from these guys. And I love being around them.

One of my favorite memories was when they had about 5 friends over and all of a sudden hunger hit. I just made big pots of pasta and they ate and laughed!

Dh is working from home now and is happier in his job than he has been in literally 10 years. He is getting more interested in the boys' learning which is good, but an adjustment for me! I have been so used to going it solo! (Though he is always there if I really need him.)

My dh is a Chemistry major, though he went on to business (we met in Business school), but he understands the sciences and wants the boys to have a basic understanding. So right now I have a ton of books on order at the library on Chemistry. Just picked up Chemistry for Dummies at the library yesterday. Love those "Dummies" books.

I never liked Chemistry, so really this is a new adventure. This is really kind of a litmus test for me with this lifestyle of learning. How often has a mom said to her dc:

"You must learn (fill in the blank)."

"Why?" the dc says.

"Because it is important." sez Mom.

Off they go. Could be really boring materials that would put Mom to sleep. And she has no stake. So, I will have a bit of a stake.. and wonder if there is a better way to learn Chemistry than my high school class back in 1975? I wonder if Chemistry can be interesting? I wonder why my dh thinks it is important? (I have an idea, but am really curious to explore and find out more.)

So, that is on order.

And of course, our Civil War. I won't post too much on that since I have already. But now B and I have S watching the Ken Burns DVDs. But parts are graphic, which is not S's style. I forgot about a scene where there is a photograph of all the amputated limbs and in a pile. Led to a good discussion about violence. S asked why I think a certain VG is violent, but not that?

Humm.. I had to think. When I got honest it was because this was labeled "history' and VG was not. But, really, also because it helps understand and empathize with the human condition at that time. However, that said, I just finished Uncle Tom's Cabin. Stowe was able to relate the horrors, indignity and violence of slavery without one foul word or graphic scene. But you *knew* deeply what was happening. I think that is a lost art.

B is reading short stories written in the Civil War period and S is reading a modern novel of Bull Run.

The boys also just learned of a really cool game from their friend M called Brick Wars. You take all your millions of spare LEGO pieces and play a strategy game. The Guest Room/Light Saber Room has now been converted to the Brick Wars Room.















They have played out most of their Christmas VGs and are on to different things. Never enough time in the day, is what I hear mostly.

We are doing tennis every Friday and Rod is as funny as ever. We enjoy seeing friend C every Friday as we pick him up from school. Interesting for boys to hear of his adventures at his high school, too.

I set up a studio to paint up in B's room. He offered it as he really only sleeps there. I just can't find time to work on it. I also am supposed to finish Ralphie's sweater, but can't find time! My Lighthouse activity is really picking up... and I need to make sure I keep on top of that. Though I am SO glad I decided to limit my work to close parishes. It got too much last year when one visit to a far away parish would eat up half a day.

I want to get us back to weekday Mass once a week. We got out of that habit over the holidays. Also I want to get back to Adoration.

Well, my poor sick dh just got out of bed. He fell ill in New Orleans yesterday and I need to make a doctor appointment for him.

This was nice. Have a nice day!

Our Trip to Brazil

Jack and Anne (our neighbors) had us over to see all their wonderful pictures of their trip to Brazil.

They are a retired couple who live across the street and know how much we enjoy nature, so they often share their experiences with us. Jack is an avid bird watcher and writes articles for the local birding group. Anne travels with him all over the world to find birds and enjoy nature and travel.

The boys, dh and I went over last week and we all crowded upstairs in the spare bedroom turned den. Also present were J and A's dd and sil. Up there was the TV with the DVD that worked... so we all watched as Jack narrated us through a half hour of wonderful pictures, complete with a pointer and a map of Brazil.

The pictures on here are not his, but two of the animals I remember him showing us. The monkey is a Tamerin Lion Monkey. The cutest things, Anne said. They are also threatened. The bird is a Channel Billed Toucan. The reptile is a caiman (which I had never heard of before). He said they are very slow and very dumb... but I think they look very fierce!

They told us that in the rainforest when the birds and monkeys get going the sound can be deafening! After hearing of their adventures, walking up to 5 miles a day in the hot, humid weather, youngest ds asked why anyone would want to do that for a vacation! Spoken like a true A/C loving suburbanite.

He also told us about the Pantanel, the world's largest wetlands. Every year for 6 months it is flooded by waters draining off the platueau south of the Amazon River, then for 6 months it is totally dry. Because of this, it is largely unpopluated and full of wildlife.

He recorded over 200 birds identifies on this trip, 73 of which he had never seen before. It was funny, though, because when a picture of a flower came up, he wouldn't have a clue of the name. But boys he knows his birds!

Well, we go to live vicariously through our neighbor's trip. Below is a diary Jack generously shared with us. It was interesting looking up the places and treks they made. He kindly allowed me to share it here.




ON SAFARI IN THE PANTANAL AND OTHER PARTS OF BRAZIL
By Jack Gorman

In the last half of November Anne and I were fortunate to spend 12 days of jam packed activities in Brazil on an International Exposition tour of the Pantanal, Iguazu Falls and parts of Rio de Janeiro. It was quite an adventure. Here are my impressions of our travels through these very unique parts of Brazil.

Brazil is a huge country with a land area similar to that of the United States. Since the equator slices through its middle, Brazil encompasses a variety of vastly different ecological areas. Most famous is the mighty Amazon River with its vast tropical jungles. It has fascinated the world for years. On the other hand, little has been written about the Pantanal, Brazil’s other huge but much different eco-system. Sitting in the middle of the South American Continent, the Pantanal is a geological depression that holds in its sink the largest wetlands in the world. Stretching over an area somewhat larger than the state of Wisconsin, 90% of the Pantanal is in Brazil. It has two seasons, the dry season where it gets very little rain from May to November (winter time in Brazil) and the wet season from December to April (Summer in Brazil). Throughout the dry season the Pantanal is blanketed with a lowland savanna interspersed with patches of forestlands, numerous rivers, and shallow lakes.. As the wet season arrives the high plateaus south of the Amazon River receive vast amounts of rainfall. Water flushes down into the Pantanal and overflows its rivers and floods huge sections of its lowlands. Because of its flat topography, drainage is very slow which renders much of the land useless for general habitation or farming. Eventually the floodplain dries out and reverts back into dry savanna. Because of this unique flood cycle the Pantanal is sparsely settled and has been converted into large cattle ranches over the last 400 years. We spent four days roaming these ranchlands, learning about and marveling at its natural fauna and flora. We stayed at the Refugio Ecologico Caiman, a 250,000 acre cattle ranch that caters to eco-tourists. Getting there was no easy jaunt. After landing in Sao Paulo we flew to Campo Grande, a small city in the pampas ca 600 miles to the northwest. Then, riding in a mini-bus we bounced along for 4 ½ hours until we reached the ranch which sits just inside the edge of the Pantanal.




On safari in the Pantanal in November when the weather is topping the 90 degree mark went something like this. Our group of 10 visitors was led by a naturalist working for International Expositions and two local guides. Our primary objective was bird watching. However, we also eagerly enjoyed the sightings of indigenous animals, butterflies, exotic trees, plants and flowers. We woke up around 6;00 AM to the screams and screeches of parrots, parakeets, and Chachalacas. Following a hearty breakfast we began our morning discoveries out in the savanna. For the first two days we were on foot, scouring the fields, forests, ponds, and shallow lakes that surround the ranch. The ponds and lakes were loaded with caiman languishing half submerged in the water and on shore. They seemed exceedingly lazy and thankfully never bothered us. Birding around the ranch was easy and exciting. The lawns were dotted with Rufous-bellied and Pale-breasted Thrushes along with a Red-creasted Cardinal or two.. Large Poinciana trees were bursting with beautiful red blooms, hummingbirds and Parakeets. A giant Cecropia tree loomed over the compound and attracted birds like a magnet. Many different bird species frolicked in its canopy, including; Toco Toucans, Black-headed parrots, Monk Parakeets, a variety of tanagers and a territorial Kiskadee. The marshland held a smattering of ibises, herons and Muscovy Ducks while swallows wove their graceful flights over the fields and lakes. By 10;30 AM we and the birds were hot and tired, so we went back to the ranch house and the birds stopped calling. A swim in the pool and a buffet lunch followed. Temperatures sizzled as we took a siesta to avoid the mid-day heat. Late Afternoons found us off again. This time we went on safari in a high-riding open-air truck that bounced us along for hours to new locations. It was easy spotting birds and animals in the shallow mud holes along the elevated roads At selected locations we hopped down and struck out into the woods to tramp through the tangles of a twisting trail. I estimated that we walked at least 5-6 miles a day and spent many hours standing with binoculars peeled. Sitting high in the truck, the flat rangeland seemed to roll out in all directions. Carunda Palms dominated the open savanna standing strait and tall with tasseled heads while herds of white cattle lounged and grazed beneath them in small groups. Greater Rheas (birds similar to Ostriches) wandered about in the open and once we spotted a covey of 14 immature rheas being shepherded by two male chaperons.



Each small mud hole had a bird or two feeding at its leisure and close to the road. Wattled Jacanas, Plumbeous, Buff-necked, Green, and Bare-faced Ibis along with Rufescent Tiger-herons, and Whistling, Cocoi, Striated and Capped Herons predominated. A few lonely Jabaru Storks, with their 4 ½ foot height and huge black beaks were not as common and a Greater Black Hawk seemed out of place feeding on the ground. Large patches of dense forest produced species such as the White Woodpecker, Savanna Hawk, Golden-collared Macaw, Spectacled Owl and Red-billed Scythebill. Parakeets were very common. We observed three pairs of Hyacinth Macaws (an endangered species) feeding and nesting in the Acuri and Bocaiuva Palm trees. Nesting boxes had also been provided for the macaws by conservationists because of the lack of tree holes.
Our safaris also produced sightings of resident animals, including; Giant Anteaters, Capibaras, Coatis, Yellow Armadillos, Black Howler Monkeys, Red-backed and Marsh Deer, Peccaries, Feral Pigs, Agoutis, and lizards of many sizes Jaguar foot prints were spotted but no jaguars. Colorful foliage and butterflies were common.

Upon leaving Refugio Caiman we bused back to Campo Grande and flew on to Iguazu Falls via a stop in Sao Paulo, arriving late in the night. Our go-go schedule didn’t change but the locale was starkly different. Staying at the magnificent old Hotel Tropical das Cataracas overlooking the falls we felt as if we were in imperial Europe where the elite dress for meals (many did but we stuck to our hiking dudes). Located on the Parana River the falls stretch across 2 ½ miles of tropical landscape between Brazil and Argentina. The early morning weather was uncomfortably hot and humid as we had breakfast on the patio. Dozens of Red-rumped Caciques entertained us with their constant squabbling and jiving amidst their myriad clumps of nests in the nearby trees. A Toco Toucan aroused a screaming angry mob of Caciques when it appeared on the scene looking for eggs to eat. Then a coati drew our attention as it fearlessly climbed on to a breakfast table to sample leftovers. Then, we were out early to amble down the hiking trails on the Brazilian side of the falls. Cutting across the lawn we scared up a flock of tiny Blue-winged Parrotlets. As we started down the winding cliffside trail a Red-breasted Toucan flushed from her nesting cavity and Plumbeous Kites constantly circled overhead.. The twisting, paved trail offered us many multi-faceted views of the spectacular falls at every twist and turn. For me it was like walking through a kaleidoscope of Church’s tropical paintings. As we reached the bottom a cold mist blew over us as we ambled out on the walkway leading to the bottom edge of the falls. Great Dusky Swifts twittered in joy as they flew in and out through the spray while visiting their nests that were safely tucked behind the waterfalls. Wet with pleasure we took the elevator up and then lunched at a restaurant on the edge of the cataracts. The following day we did the Argentinean side of the falls, hiking for many hours throughout the parkland. The highlight of the day’s hike was walking out on a long narrow causeway that brought us directly over the mouth of the falls as they plunged down over the cliffs. Their mists chilled us and their thunderous roar was deafening. Our afternoon adventures found us in a helicopter, riding over the falls where Anne took some spectacular photos We ended our stay at Iguazu with a tour of an outside, walkthrough, aviary where we literally could walk and talk with dozens of tropical parrots, macaws, toucans, rheas, curassows, and ibises in a rainforest setting. Then, it was on to Rio De Janeiro.

A light rain greeted us as we pulled into our hotel on Ipanema Beach at 1:00 AM in the morning. Up early again we left for a excursion to Tijuca national Park where we would ride the tramway to the top of Corcovado Mountain. Up the steep cogway we silently glided through a tropical rainforest. We smiled at its whimsical statuary and oohed at the, tropical gardens, and large yellow blobs of wild Jackfruit hanging from its tall trees. Reaching the top we marveled at the spectacular views of Rio while the huge statue of Christ looked down on us with arms extended. It was a photographers delight. After lunch we explored the Rio Botanical Gardens for three hours. It seemed we covered all 150 acres of it. Initially begun at the turn of the 19th century, the gardens were planted with both endemic and imported foliage. Its huge trees dwarfed over us as we searched for birdlife that was plentiful. Tanagers here, a Kiskadee there, a Rufous-capped Antshrike in the hedges, Violet-capped and Swallow-Tailed Hummingbirds near the orchid garden, a Channel-billed Toucan on nest, and a Slaty-breasted Woodrail sulking near the lily pond were great finds for our bird list. I could have easily enjoyed another two days there. But we had to get back for a late afternoon stroll on Impanema Beach.

Our last days were spent it two different parts of the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest. In the morning we visited Poco das Antas where we hiked through the wet into the rainforest Our guides located a band of six Golden Lion Tamarins, an indigenous specie on the world’s endangered animal list.. Watching and photographing these squirrel-size monkeys, with their human-like faces as they jumped from branch to branch was utterly delightful. Moving on to Serra Dos Orgaos National Park we spent the night high in the mountains above Teresopolis. One last morning was ours to explore the tree-top walkways of this sanctuary set in the rugged hillside a few miles from burgeoning Rio. It offered us another 23 species for our bird list that then topped the 200 mark. But alas, our power-packed journey had to end too soon and it was back to Houston, a three-flight 20 hour trip.

Warm and Cozy Cup of Love (and chocolate)

Cindy with her Cozy Cup

Had a job walking pups

The cuter the better

For all kinds of weather....

drinking from her cozy cup.

Maria put this poem in the comments section and I had to move it to the front page! I loved it!

My dear friend gave me a beautiful cup and it was full of chocolate candy. Why? I asked. Just because she likes me, she said.

Everything tastes better from my Cozy Cup. :)

I'm So Excited!

I finally was able to meet with my pastor and our Adult Education director at my home parish today about the Lighthouse Catholic Media CDs... and they loved them! And when the director asked when.. Father dove right in! We are going to kick off the ministry on the first Sunday of Lent!

I am SO excited!

I had to make my presentation quick. Father looked so tired and only had a few minutes. So I told them my conversion story and how so much of it was inspired by these speakers and writers. Then how my dh's faith expanded the same way. And then how last summer I found out that St. Joseph's was starting up this ministry and I signed up.

Then, I went through a fast version of how it worked. My pastor loved the speakers, especially Scott Hahn. Yea! And, saw right away how this would work, since I didn't cover it all to shorten it, he practically read my notes back to me. Great for commuters. Great for young families. Great for people who don't have time.

And it turns out the AD Director was looking for some new tech ways to get the message out. And here it is!

And, she found out I wanted to lead the ministry and do the restocking, announcements and legwork. So it was a win-win.

This LCM work has had its ups and downs, but the ups are such ups, because I know that these CD will get good teaching out and also will help people through very difficulties. The speakers are just wonderful.

And today we read the daily scripture and guess what it was? Sowing seed.... and seeing were it falls. On rocky soil, or thorns or good soil. That was so nice to read before I went in, in case they didn't like this.

This is really an easy thing to show people because it really is like I am just a messenger and if God's word is going to spread, it will. But it is so wonderful to see a bit of fertile soil...

Just to think... hundreds... thousands of CD will go out. How they might affect people's lives? Amazing. I am so excited we are going to have this in our own parish.

And kick off weekend is the first weekend of Lent! Please say a prayer for us. :)

And if you want this in your parish, let me know and I will see who the rep is in your area. And if you want CDs for you and to share, check out the new CD of the Month club. (put in promo code 1125 and I will get some bubble gum money.. lol)
click here

More Civil War

I am about 3/4 the way through Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Cay, when you pick it up again, let's discuss! Wow, I just find I want to talk about this book to others... there are so many aspects of it that intrigue me.
First, when/why it was written. It was written before the war, by a stanch Christian women who as trying to expose the evil of slavery by putting a human face to it. Boy did she succeed.

Many northerners were NOT against slavery. They did not fight the war to free the slaves. They fought it for the preservation of the Union and their nation and didn't particularly want the slaves freed. She was trying in part to reach those people and have them become sympathetic to the Abolitionists. Anyway, I could go on, but I won't..

Last night at dinner we got talking about this book. I could not help but give a narration to my men. But I wanted to hold back some of my opinions so they could form theirs when they read the book.

But, I was pressed to elaborate on one topic I mentioned, the rationalization that many professed Christian Southerners, notably preachers and ministers had for the institution of slavery. B especially pressed me on this.

I explained how Stowe would use characters in her books to express the various views, through dialog and action. I actually found it a bit obvious at times, but she did get her point across.

There were some Southerners who went to the Bible verses on God's order of things. How there are kings and queens, and workers and those lesser. How scripture says that slaves should be slaves and do their work well. (Please forgive me I don't have the chapter and verse and am paraphrasing.) They took this to justify the 'orderliness' of God and how all things are in their right place.

(In essence using selected Bible verses to back up their preferences.)

B says- "But what about the verse that says "The meek shall in inherit the earth?"

We all agreed.. and it led to further conversations about how today you will still see it.. professed Christains who will use selected Bible verses to back up their view points. Some which are not Christain.

And, then we got back to the beauty of the totality of the Catholic Church, which takes all scripture and tradition into account and give us guidance we can trust.

Plus, I made Cilantro Chicken for dinner (one of John's recipes) and it came out right! B made the rice and forgot if he got the ratio right (rice to water) but he did and it was perfect!

And S is now watching and enjoying the DVDs on the Civil War. But I am seeing they really are just an introduction to the whole era. There is so much there.

And last night dh told B that he may soon be a better expert on the Civil War than he (dh) is. That was quite a complement, as dh has loved history since a boy and took college level classes on this area at UT. I think B was pleased.

Ok.. off to get dressed for my workout. Have a great day, all.

New Tact on the Journey...

Well, it is a cold, rainy day in Houston and a fresh batch of icy air has moved in. Fellow Houstonians are complaining, but you won't hear that talk around here. We love it!

I am finding this blog is migrating in purpose a bit, which makes sense for journally type writing. It started as a place to explore thoughts on why and how we home educate. But I see now it has become more of a place to reflect a part of our life and home to my friends. It may migrate back again later.. who knows?

I think most of my visitors are friends, and they check in on me, and as most have blogs I check in on them. This is so fun. It is like icing on the cake of life. To be able to fire up the computer and see what my long distance friends are up to, see pictures of new babies, or birthday parties, or trips to museums. How cool.

I also find that when I blog, my journals are much more detail than the ones I keep on my own. Though the ones on paper serve other purposes (more detailed for credits, private thoughts not appropriate for the Internet.. lol), etc. So, it is a nice complement to the other journalling I do and I plan to print it all off for my binders every so often. It is also a creative outlet for me. Feels good to write and produce some pleasing blog entries. Do others find that?

So,it seems this blog is fast becoming more of a slice of our life. I think that may attract a certain audience, but also will bore others to death! lol

So, onto my next post.. as I sip my coffee and listen to the rain and thank God for my wonderful life here in rainy SE Texas.

God Bless!

Ralphie's Fitting

Ralphie's sweater is in progress. He is great about the fittings as long as I catch him when he is asleep. I can roll him over, tuck under his chin, whatever I want.

As you see, he is very excited about the new togs.

New Addition to my Office

Can you see it? On the left. I took an old white board and am listing the current things I am researching/working on. So I won't FORGET!

I tried writing them in my journal, on a slip of paper, in my organzier, but they got lost in the shuffle. Now, as I sit at the computer, or walk through the room, I can see the brainstorms I had, or what the boys and I talked about doing.

If you click on it can you read my writing? I'm going to try....

Another Quote

I am enjoying hearing the wit and wisdom of Abraham Lincoln. This quote just cracked me up. One thing Lincoln had to bear was inept generals in the Civil War. He went through many of them, often they would fail to move, and not act. He got very frustrated. Don't know if that is what prompted this quote, but it may have.

I liked it.


January, 1863
The hen is the wisest of all the animal creation because she never cackles until after the egg has been laid.
~ Abraham Lincoln

Quote

I liked this quote...I need to make sure I don't use it too liberally with my 2 teen sons... oh and my dh, too.

"It takes a lot longer if you don't start."
~Anonymous

One of my Favorite Cartoons

Boys 'n' Me

The past couple of days I have had that sad fleeting mommy feeling... oh I miss these days when the boys were little! I know, I have fine young men now and love life with teens.. but I do miss these days. What fun!

B on the right always had a smile like liquid sunshine...! Can't beleive I put myself on the internet with no make up.. lol

Dh taking the picture of us at Grandma's condo pool. :)

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Ok, this book, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, is on every list out there for teens to read. I never had much desire to pick it up... well until now as I continue learning about the Civil War. Found it at my libary on audio.


I am about 8 chapters into it and the audio rendition is read by Rebecca Nicholas. This woman has a wonderful talent for voices- black, white, male, female, she captures them all.

What I knew about this book was that it was an instant best seller and helped to show the plight of the slaves and cement the Abolitionist's cause prior to the Civil War. That was about all I knew.

What I have found is that HBS manages to really humanize these slaves. They are people, with souls, feelings and lives. She also portrays the owners as not all bad, but all misguided.

I found it very telling when she said of some kind owners, who treated their slaves well, educated and nurtured them (a rarity), that even though these particular slaves had it better than some, the institution could not be forgiven. Their lives were still in the hands of others.

Today I got curious about who HBS was, so did some google-ly research. Turns out she was a prolific writer and had a supportive husband. More than half of her children died before her and some had addictions. She lived a tough life, but being raised by a father who was anti-slavery and encouraged discussion at home, she came to believe in certain values and write about them throughout her life.

I love this- I see shades of a home full of atmosphere of learning and disucssion. Something we try to foster here, too. It seems like whenever I look into people who make a difference in the world, they have backgrounds that caused them to think.. rarely did they just go through the motions of a standard education.

Here are some quotes from some bios I found. Her mom died when she was five, but her family had a large impact on her life.

...After the publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin, Stowe became an internationally acclaimed celebrity and an extremely popular author. In addition to novels, poetry and essays, she wrote non-fiction books on a wide range of subjects including homemaking and the raising of children, and religion. She wrote in an informal conversational style, and presented herself as an average wife and mother. ...

...She was fortunate in having the support of her husband Calvin Stowe who always encouraged his wife in her career. This kind of support from a husband was unusual at the time when women were not expected to have a career outside the home...

...In 1820 Lyman (her father) preached anti-slavery sermons in response to the issue of whether Missouri should be admitted to the union as a slave or a free state. Lyman's dynamic preaching, religious energy and commitment had a profound impact on all of his children. He encouraged an intellectual environment at home and would often lead family debates on important issues of the day....


...She (her sister Catherine) argued that running a home was as complicated as running an office and that young women should be instructed in these duties the same way boys should be instructed in careers outside the home. Catharine also stressed the importance of written expression. Her students spent many hours composing essays. As a result of Catharine's teaching methods, Harriet received an unusually fine education, and, under her sister's guidance, began to develop her talent as a writer....

Crazy Texans

Oh, cometh Iceman, cometh!

Here in sultry SE Texas we see little ice-cold weather. Ironic, in that all four of us love the cold. I am very warm natured to start with, and some of my favorite memories was running in the icy Ohio winters.

Both boys love the cold.

My dh is from Long Island and loves cold, and really does not like heat.

And here we live in the semi tropics.

The weather people expected Houston to get a blast of this cold freeze that is blanketing the country's midsection this week. Problem with Houston, is just as it gets to us, the durn warm Gulf of Mexico air pushes it back north. Nothing like winds from the south in the winter. That means warm and humid days.

Well, last night it got really cold. It was Ohio-cold. We took the dogs out and enjoyed that icy brace against our faces.. so wonderful. I told the boys they better get out a lot today, as this is the last chance for bonechilling weather for a long time, as it begins to warm up tomorrow.

Your Choice

I liked this.. it is on our blog:
Come join us!

Some pics of real life...:)

Our living room with Christmas splendor galore!!


























Boys' domain- (pics taken by S). Notice the Gatorade bottle collection over the TV. I was asking them to please bring empties down.. but then they said it was a 'collection'. So I began buying various sized bottles and found myself bringing empties *up* to the gameroom for them. Ah, do they have me hoodwinked? lol






















New keyboard and post-Christmas mess.

















Is this organized or what? Tells me that kids do know how to organize if it is something they care about. But don't look at their clothes closets.... :)





















My handsome, handsome 16 year old son. Makes a mother proud....

The LIFEbinder- from my old friend!

My old friend was in the Houston Chronicle today! She has created a system to keep important information at your finger tips in case of an emergency or just if you need to get to it quickly.

This is SO Lynn! She and I used to job share and she is one of the most organized and energetic people I know. This is so cool.. check it out. In their Christmas letter this year, her husband said it was the Rita emergency that caused Lynn to seet the need for this and now she is making it available to others.

I am so proud of Lynn. We used to share a job. She was a pleasure to work with. This was when I had first have my oldest son and went back to work 'part time'- about 24 hours a week. And he was in childcare.. and Lynn was so helpful and supportive to me. But we both eventually knew we wanted to be home with our kids and both got there. Though our job was really fun and we worked for an awesome exciting company.

So neat to see where her talents have taken her.
You can reach Lynn at thelifebinder@yahoo.com


Article in the Houston Chronicle January 11, 2007

Northampton resident helps others get organized
By FLORI MEEKS

LYNN Champion takes organization pretty seriously.

So when she came up with a system for making her family's financial,
medical, personal and property information easier to access, she was
pretty excited.

The Northampton resident didn't really expect other people to share her
enthusiasm, but less than two years after developing a Life Information
for Emergencies binder for her family, she has started selling her
system to the public.

"It makes me feel good that people are interested in being organized,
and I have a product they can use," said Champion, 47. "They're
excited, so I'm excited."

Champion's LIFE binders are meant to make life easier when people need
important family right away. Each package includes a CD with formatted
files for customers to complete, print and store in the binder.

Categories include finances, medical records, assets, insurance,
employment histories, income tax returns, legal documents and personal
documents such as birth and marriage licenses.

If a family member became ill or died, the binder would be a guide for
loved ones, Champion said.

They also can be useful during a crisis, Champion said. She grabbed her
binder when her family evacuated for Hurricane Rita. "If you have to
leave quickly, everything you'll need to re-build your life will be in
there," she said.

Debbie Cantu has been giving binders to family members, and she got one
for herself.

"The way my filing system is now, people would have to spend days
looking through it if something happened," the Conroe resident said.

"Lynn is such a nice person. She put into action what a lot of people
were thinking."

Entrepreneurship is a new experience for Champion. The Michigan native
has worked about eight years as a certified public accountant and spent
the last 14 years as a full-time homemaker. She and husband Emile are
the parents of Megan, 20; Kelsey, 17; and Cam, 14.

About two years ago, Champion attended a personal finance course at her
church. The instructor emphasized the idea of keeping the family's
important papers in one place both spouses know about in case something
happens to one of them.

Champion, the family bill-writer and keeper of the finances, started
worrying what Emile would do if something happened to her. "I started
consolidating all of our papers," she said.

Gradually, she started creating categories for the papers. The bill
section, for instance, provides a place to list account numbers,
payment dates and methods of payment.

As Champion told her friends about the system she created they started
asking her to provide one for them.

Champion sold her first binder package for $39.95 in August, and the
business started growing by word of mouth.

Tomball resident Gayle Mills has become a customer and a voluntary
binder promoter. "To me, it's about your life," she said. "Lynn came up
with a wonderful product."

Champion has not established a Web site for her product, but she can
accept questions by e-mail at TheLIFEbinder@yahoo.com.

Champion, who also is an avid scrapbooker, is mulling over a new idea.
She wants to develop a system for storing family photos that could
easily be transported in an emergency.

"When we left for Hurricane Rita, I wasn't worried about finances," she
said. "I spent most of my time getting my scrapbooks together."

E-mail profile suggestions to Gus Morgan at gus.morgan@chron.com.


Brought to you by the HoustonChronicle.com

Grant and Lee

I am now listening to the book April 1865 by Jay Winik.

It is about the last month of the Civil War, in great detail.

The part I am on now is the letters that Grant and Lee send each other as the devestating war is coming to a close- Lee is retreating deeper in the south and west and Grant is pursuing him.

They wrote eloquently to each other, like gentlemen. They had to deal with the length of time it took to get the correspondence through, if the letter got through at all.

It was a different time- no cell phones, and even with all the bloodshed, still a sense of chivalry and honor.

Now, knowing he is going to have to face surrender, Lee has to decide whether to order his men to engage in gurellia warfare, and ancient form of war where the weak can subversivly engage the strong. Another point in which Lee's decision affect the history of our country. Amazing.

Nice dinner converation, too.

Back to Normal... Whatever Normal Is

Yes, like most of my friends online and IRL I am feeling that urge to get back on a more normal schedule. It started well, I guess, as I awoke at 5:30 am and could not go back to sleep, so I am up planning my week/month/life.

My short ToDo list:

1. Finish organizing my office. It DOES feel good so far and I have the bug to finish.

2. Get a handle on the bills, financials, etc. Keep it regularly updated, which will be easier with my organized office.

3. Refocus my health goals See Lean But Not Mean for further info...

4. Store Christmas decorations in new containers and find room for them inside (as opposed to the attic where they would get yikcy..)

5. Review where boys are with their projects and credits. S has a schedule he wants to keep up, so work to help him achieve that goal. Think about credits he needs and pursuits they want to follow. Put on my calendar to regularly touch base and take notes.

6. Set up some specific times to do these and other things- work on home businesses, reserach resources for boys, meet with boys, help them pursue things they want to do, etc.

7. Nurture me and find time for me to be off duty to single mindedly peruse my things. Art and knitting and currently on the top of the list.

8. Balance my computer time- keep up with friends, but then get off and do other things when I am through.

9. Nurture my friendships and leave lots of margin to do so.

10. Check each decision/option and ponder if it will bring me closer to God. (quite a little check off... but I hope to try and keep it at the forefront...)

Humm.. reading that, it looks pretty normal. :) At least the dog looks happy (and organized...)

Out of Step, In Step

Today our family had our Christmas gift exchange. B and I had an early morning dogsit with Sophie (her picture is to the right) and her sidekick Bailey first and I thought to myself that I could not run by Starbucks for my cup of bliss since it was Christmas morning and it would be closed. But it wasn't! So I did!

Today after we opened gifts, B commented that the rest of the world has moved on, but here we are celebrating Christas. I almost felt like a missionary in a pagan land or something. lol

Ooh, now the good stuff. Guess what I got? Well, I knew about it because I picked it out over a month ago when Hobby Lobby had a big sale.

I found this book months ago and Barnes and Noble and splurged and bought it. Paint Happy



I loved it. I loved the color, the style and her whole attitude toward painting. I want to loosen up when I paint. I liked watercolor, but felt I was always folloing rules and always painting realistic.

To see more of her art, go here.

But, when I went to get the supplies (acrylic paint, pastels, etc) it was a lot fo moola so I put it off.

Well, for Christmas I got the whole kit and kaboodle!

Then, today I went to set up my things in the guest room where I have a craft table. Boys looked at each other.. uhem.. well, that is now their light saber room. ((Don't ask questions.)

I wanted a quiet place where I could leave everything out. Bryan suggested his room as he really only sleeps there. Long story short, we moved things around and I now have a studio! It is the quietest room in the house, and has sunny windows. I set up my supplies and a radio and listened to C&W and painted away today. Dogs laid on B's bed and slept while I painted.

I will post some creations later.

So, now am picking up the trimmings, boys are checking out their stuff and we had a nice day.

Just call me...

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Countess Cynthia Lynn the Mellifluous of Throcking by Hampton Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Thanks Maria!

What Are You Looking Forward To?

Someone asked me this today. Have you asked yourself lately?

For me it was our 'delayed' Christmas celebration which we are having this Sunday morning. We were travelling on Christmas Day this year. Every year since the boys were born we have had Christmas Day at home. So we decided to delay our gift exchange a bit.. and boys chose this weekend, which is Ephiphany!

So, today I am buying the remaining stocking stuffers, wrapping presents and playing Christmas music. Yesterday I made 3 batches of Christmas cookies. We are one of 2 houses on the street with our light still up and ON.

I know what I am getting for Christmas, so I am really anxious! How is it my boys have better gratificaiton delay than me? lol

I Am Going to Write this on My Mirror.. :)

From friend Monica at UC:

Is (fill in the blank) bringing you closer to
God or pulling you away?

That may seem very simplistic and
could be dangerous if mired in justifications, but I am finding that it really
does help me make decisions about my actions, my plans, and my activities. Life
is fluid, and we have to change constantly based on our families’ needs. I am
finding this question to be very centering for me. I can’t get caught up in what
other people think is important, because I have my kids and husband to be
concerned with as well as my own needs. We don’t all have the same goals along
the journey though we all share the ultimate goal of heaven. And, it’s
okay!

Our Trail to the Civil War

Civil War Resources- Fall 2006- Winter 2007

Someone asked me about the things we found for the Civil War, so I thought I would post them here. We are still going.. I have a basket full of books/tapes/videos we are sorting through. If I find more gems I will add them.

The first four items were the centerpiece for us! The film that Ken Burns did was just extraordinary- and encompassed 5 DVDs that we have watched over and over.

We all loved Across Five Aprils, an historical fiction book written for older children.

Killer Angels was killer! The audio version we had told at the end of how the author got interested in Gettysburg and researched this book for 7 years. It is the story of a handful of players in the battle, Lee, Grant, Chamberlain, Longstreet and others. It is from their personal view and really brings history to life.

And the (audio) book of short stories really seemed to weave the history together for me. I find Stephen Crane a bit hard to understand and he wrote the first story, but the rest I had no problem with. Well, the last one was a doctor's account and got pretty graphic with the wounds he treated, etc, so I skipped that.

These are a mix of adult and children's things, and I put the ages by the ones that were not adult. Hope to add more later!

These combined with lots of discussion has been a great forray into the Civil War for us.

The Civil War- A Film by Ken Burns (PBS Documentary)- centerpiece (teen-adult)

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara (audio narrated by George Hearn) Ages 12 and up

Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (we enjoyed audio and print) Ages 10 and up.


The Little Regiment & Other Great Civil War stories [sound recording] / [edited by Martin Greenberg]
Stories included: The little regiment / Stephen Crane (David Ackroyd) -- The die-hard / Stephen V. Benet (William Windom) -- The brothers / Louisa May Alcott (Gabrielle de Cuir) -- One of the missing / Ambrose Bierce (Stefan Rudnicki) -- The valley was still / Manly Wade Wellman (Richard Gilliland) -- The unknown soldier / Kristine K. Rusch (Dan Musselman) -- The lamp of psyche / Edith Wharton (Amanda Karr) -- How Stonewall came back / James Warner Bellah (William Windom) -- The locket / Kate Chopin (Judith Cummings) -- The face / Ed Gorman (William Sanderson).


The Civil War- An Illustrated History (companion coffee table book to Ken Burns’ film)

The Civil War- A Narrative by Shelby Foote (teen- adult)- partial- a bit dry, but good after I had learned some background.

Bull Run by Paul Fleishman – Recorded Books, full cast. Ages 10 and up

Lincoln A PhotoBiography Russell Freedman (10 and up)

Great Battles of the Civil War- John MacDonald (coffee table book- computer aided graphic reconstruction of the battles)

Gettysburg – Movie based on Killer Angels book.

Pete Fountain- Happy Ears!

This is my office-organizing music! Who can't be happy while listening to this?

Click on music samples- While We Danced at the Mardi Gras- wonderful!
click here

Oh, and if you get this CD, track 6 has the most awesome drum solo!

Organizing for the New Year and "Why You Can't Let Go"

I don't usually do formal resolutions, but still find the new year gives me a feeling of a clean slate, a fresh start. That coupled with me feeling adrift the past month has put a bug in me to organize. Leonie also gave me inspiration!

I want to pay the bills and keep on top of it. I want to have papers I need at my fingertips. I want to reduce clutter. I want to have a central place for my work and planning- my office.

So, yesterday I spent most all day putting together my office. It was makeshift, but I went though all my old homeschool files (yes!) and threw out a bunch. I organized my two little businesses (Happier at Home! Petsitting and Lighthouse Catholic Media) and printed out labels for all my files. That is the first time I ever printed labels.

Now I open my file drawer and experience bliss!

I know I need order, but I have to be careful not to translate this need into a control thing with my boys' learning. So, I am re-reading this article to help me remember why I think I need curriculum.. and when I really don't.

It is all a balance... and I have to keep seperating my needs from their, while trying to really see theirs as well. If this makes sense... :) How to use the tools available without becoming a slave and forgetting what real learning looks like.
I liked a lot of this article:
Why You Can't Let Go

Some excerpts I liked- the first about why curriculum draws us:

"We may each have our own list of pros but some of the pros of curriculum for us parents that I came up with are that it:

1) Removes the burden and responsibility of choice so we can feel confident the kids are getting the right information in the right way.
2) Provides feedback that "important" learning is taking place. It eases our worries about whether kids are getting what they need because "academic" knowledge seems artificial, as though it can't be learned from life."

And I love the whole ending of the article:

"So think in terms of joy rather than need to or important. One cool connection or one good feeling about Egypt with the doorway open and available anytime they want to explore further will serve them far better than a bushel of so called important facts that will fade from disuse and lack of interest.

Think in terms of creating a lifetime learner rather than creating a standard foundation or framework. If we give them the gift of confidence that they can learn anything they decide to, that there's no time limit to learning, no point when they're done, then we've opened every door possible for them.

Think in terms of right now. Today. Help them be who they are right now. They are 4 and 6 and 12 for a reason. School kids spend their childhoods preparing to be adults. Let them be who they are now. After all we didn't worry about them discussing poop and Teletubbies when they were toddlers even though it didn't sound like it was preparing them to be corporate directors or doctors or even first graders. We knew they'd get linguistically where they needed regardless of what path through language they took.

Think in terms of a journey rather than a destination. They're not locked in towards some specific destination but on a lifetime journey of exploration and discovery that they can take anywhere they want to.

Think in terms of nurturing your own enthusiasm about life rather than nurturing their enthusiasm. Don't jump up and down about George Washington if he puts you to sleep. Be honest in your pursuit of what interests you. Let them see that you think something is really cool. Not to get them interested in something you think would be good for them but an honest "Wow! I love this stuff!" And ask questions about life. Be curious. Because it's the questions that are important. Anyone can look up the answers but not everyone can ask the questions.

Think in terms of nurturing your own interests rather than waiting to pounce on their interests. Tackle some new recipe for yourself, not because you want them to join you. But if you do have a choice, doing things in a kid friendly way creates an inviting joyous atmosphere. You're more likely to have company in the garden if you plant a beanpole teepee than if you plant a field of rutabagas.

Think in terms of creating an atmosphere of wonder where people are genuinely curious about life and where there are intriguing things to be curious about. Not because that's what would be good for them, but as a gift to them with no strings attached.

Think in terms of their interests leading them out to the world rather than looking for pathways for the world to get into them.

If we put that plan into action in place of curriculum, the world is open to them for learning for the rest of their lives."

New Year, New Habits!

Click on comic for larger image...

Well, I can relate a lot to the cat!