I should have been a statistics major

I love making charts, graphs, and trying to analyze data to see what it means for the future. However, I don't have any interesting data or much on my mind these days except wondering when Baby Sunshine is going to put in an appearance. For my OB appointment I brought in a chart of my progression of dilation/effacement with the last several pregnancies. Since I never got checked with the first 2 babies I don't have that info, but I showed up at L&D at 4cm with Will and 7cm with Mary, so it is likely I experienced early labor with them as well. At this stage with the last 3 babies I was already 3cm dilated and 50-75% effaced so I'm guessing with all these sleepless nights make it likely I am about the same now.

The other chart I made yesterday shows what date Baby Sunshine would appear compared to the other 5 babies. Since the earliest one was born at 37 weeks 2 days that would be today. Can you guess which child was born the earliest?

bye bye classic books

One of my favorite things to do has been collecting children's books, finding them at thrift stores, used book stores, and vendors such as Keller Books at homeschool conferences. We have 9 bookshelves of various sizes chock-full, so no child could ever say, "I don't have ANYTHING to read!"

However, the new CPSIA law which was rushed through Congress with no thought as to consequences (boy, does that sound familiar), outlaws the reselling (and possibly checking out from the library) children's books published prior to 1986 due to the possibility of lead in the print. I can tell you that my children read books, listen to books, and look at books, but they do not eat them. This is the most up-to-date statement from the agency:

Table C: Commonly Resold Children’s Products and Materials

Recalled Products
Illegal to sell ANY recalled product (for adults as well as children). Before taking into inventory or selling a product, check the CPSC Web site for dangerous recalled products including cribs, play yards, strollers, high chairs, toys with magnets, toys that are choking hazards, and other products.

Books – “ordinary” children’s titles e.g. paperbacks and hardbacks
OK to sell, if printed after 1985

Cheap children’s metal jewelry
Best to test, contact the manufacturer, or not sell

Unpainted/untreated wood toys
OK to sell

Painted wooden or metal toys
Best to test, contact the manufacturer, or not sell

Toys with soft plastic that are made for infants
Should be OK to sell if made for sale after February 10, 2009. If older (or if the date of manufacture is unknown) check with manufacturer or do not sell

Dyed or undyed children’s clothing made from natural, untreated cotton, silk, wool, hemp, flax, linen, and other untreated natural materials including coral, amber, feathers, fur and leather
OK to sell

Clothes with rhinestones, metal or vinyl snaps, zippers, closures or appliqués.
Best to test, contact the manufacturer, or not sell

Surgical steel; precious metals such as gold (at least 10 karat) and sterling silver (at least 925/1000); precious and semiprecious gemstones (excluding a list of stones that are associated in nature with lead); natural or cultured pearls
OK to sell

Toys that are easily breakable into small parts including dolls and stuffed toys that have eyes, noses or other small parts that are not securely fastened
Best not to sell (for children under 3); could present a choking hazard

Here are some of my favorites from our vast shelves that are now illegal to purchase:

It seems absurd in this age when we are supposedly trying to encourage children to read and get a good education to require that the only reasonably priced books for children must be thrown away because of some infinitesimal risk of a child licking the pages. Shame on our legislators for throwing out the baby with the bathwater in their efforts to "protect the children."

I just found this fantastic Dr. Seuss style story about the CPSIA, it might just make you laugh and cry.

just in time...

I've been supplanted as the chief hugger and consoler. Timmy accidentally whacked his head on the dresser in his room right after I got him dressed, and of course burst into tears. "Come here baby Timmy," and while he did hug me for a moment, he started sobbing, "Willllllll!"

"Will, Get out of the bathroom, your brother wants YOU!"

He immediately stopped crying as soon as he was safe in his big brother's arms.

carnival of homeschooling

Topsy Technie is hosting this week's carnival with a decided technical aspect. Our household is very low-tech as I told the Verizon rep yesterday when reporting a harassing phone call, "We don't have caller ID or any of that fancy stuff."

excursion

To get an OB appointment with likely the only pro-life Catholic military doc in DC (other than my dh), I had to agree to forgo schoolwork this morning and take all 5 little munchkins with me.

I hope they don't get run over, turn the place upside down, have a temper tantrum, swing from the rafters. Things to pack in the magic bag: storybooks, Cheerios, sippy cup, extra nappies, matchbox cars, and coloring supplies.

Wish me luck!

We managed to get to my appointment on time despite the traffic, driving around looking for a parking spot (we found the last one on base), and having to walk 1/2 mile to the hospital. Now we are home again and snug and cozy doing schoolwork and drinking mugs of hot cocoa/Ovaltine. The doctor agreed that I didn't need any more appointments, just to call L&D ahead of time, "I'm coming in and this is my 6th baby," so they will have a bed prepped with my name on it.

bored and waiting

As if I didn't have enough to do between homeschooling, ferrying children to lessons, and keeping the house clean, I have made it a habit to start some complicated project toward the end of pregnancy. We moved overseas when Will was 8 weeks old, giving me the opportunity to organize and pack and then repeat it on a smaller scale again when, pregnant with Mary, we moved on-base in Italy. Tim deployed for 9 months when I was only a few weeks out from Maggie's due date so of course I had to take on preschool and a TV interview to while away the time. I don't think I did much while waiting for Charlie except prepping for our yearly trip to Maine, which we did when he was four weeks old. I take that back, packing for 2-3 months in Maine with 4 small children is a big job. While expecting Timmy I began a children's writing course, which took 2 years to complete. Each time my boredom was supplanted by endless lists of chores, but they did give me something to other than twiddle my thumbs and wait for the big contractions.

This time around I bought a new sewing machine and quilting frame so I can eventually be a talented free-motion quilter and sell my creations on etsy or ebay. Tim assembled the 15' long table a few weeks ago and over the weekend I put the cloth leaders on the roller bars and pinned on a quilt sandwich so I can begin to practice. My errors have turned into a comedy; first I couldn't figure out how the rollers unlocked, making me think they were all on backwards before rerolling them all back the exact same way, Will had to rescue me when I hollered for help after I found that I couldn't lift the sewing machine onto the frame, and finally after we pinned it all on correctly I accidentally quilted the top to the cloth leaders underneath.

The book I bought with lots of great all-over quilting patterns says that it takes a year to become really proficient on a long-arm machine. I can't see me wanting to stand in my current state and practice much now, but I guess it will still be there after Baby Sunshine learns to take good naps.

liberals are trying to destroy the Church says Rabbi...

Left Wing of the Catholic Church Destroying the Faith Says Orthodox Rabbi
By Hilary White, Rome correspondentWednesday February 11, 2009

The dissident, leftist movement in the Catholic Church over the last forty years has severely undermined the teaching of the Catholic Church on the moral teachings on life and family, a prominent US Orthodox rabbi told LifeSiteNews.com.

Rabbi Yehuda Levin, the head of a group of 800 Orthodox rabbis in the US and Canada, also dismissed the accusations that the Holy See had not sufficiently distanced itself from the comments made by Bishop Richard Williamson of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) on the Holocaust."I support this move" to reconcile the traditionalist faction in the Church, he said, "because I understand the big picture, which is that the Catholic Church has a problem. There is a strong left wing of the Church that is doing immeasurable harm to the faith."

Rabbi Levin said that he understands "perfectly" why the reconciliation is vital to the fight against abortion and the homosexualist movement. "I understand that it is very important to fill the pews of the Catholic Church not with cultural Catholics and left-wingers who are helping to destroy the Catholic Church and corrupt the values of the Catholic Church." This corruption, he said, "has a trickle-down effect to every single religious community in the world."

During a visit to Rome at the end of January, Rabbi Levin told LifeSiteNews.com that he believes the media furore over the lifting of the excommunications of the four bishops of the Society of Saint Pius X is a red herring. ...The most important issue," he said, is the work the Church is doing "to save babies from abortion, and save children’s minds, and young people’s minds, helping them to know right and wrong on the life and family issues."

Liberals in the Church, particularly in Europe, have bitterly opposed all overtures to the SSPX and other traditionalists, particularly the Pope’s recent permission to revive the traditional Latin Mass. The Vatican announced in early January that, as part of ongoing efforts to reconcile the breakaway group, the 1988 decree of excommunication against the Society had been rescinded. Later that month, a Swedish television station aired an interview, recorded in November 2008, in which Bishop Richard Williamson, one of the four leaders of the Society, said that he did not believe that six million Jews were killed in the Nazi death camps during World War II. At that time, the media erupted with protests and accusations that the Catholic Church, and especially Pope Benedict XVI, are anti-Semitic.

"Anyone who understands and follows Vatican history knows that in the last three decades, one of the moral and intellectual underpinnings of the papacy of Pope John Paul II, was Cardinal Ratzinger."...Whoever doesn’t understand this doesn’t realise that this man, Pope Benedict XVI, has a decades-long track record of anti-Nazism and sympathy for the Jews."

music critics

On our way home from the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet I started singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider."

"Stop! Stop!"

"Is Mommy's singing that bad?"

"Yes!"

(the complainer? Baby Timmy)

Over the past 8 years all the children have given me similar reviews, so perhaps my singing really is terrible.

mystery solved

Did you know that if you leave your cell phone in a pocketbook and miss a call, it will beep every 15 minutes for the next 6 days? After Tim reminded me to take my phone this morning I got in the car only to hear a familiar noise, "Duh! "

military spouse deployment syndrome

Apparently the "something major goes wrong at home as soon as the spouse goes out of town syndrome" happens with all wives with traveling spouses, but it is inevitable for Navy wives, whose husbands are prone to 6 month deployments. Tim flew up to New England this week and will be arriving home in the next several hours, but as soon as he left on Monday our furnace died, complete with an odd smell and me worrying about a possible gas leak. Now it wasn't a crisis given that it hit 70F on Tuesday afternoon, but it is never good to not have heat in February. That situation was resolved within a few days. Simultaneously a mysterious beeping began, which we investigated as a bad battery in a smoke detector or something wrong with the alarm system. It has continued from some mysterious location in the finished basement every 15 minutes for 5 days now, leaving us all muttering under our breath while attempting to do school.

I didn't want to blog about the lack of heat since we had to leave the basement door unlocked and since I am already paranoid when Tim is away, staying up half the night waiting for burglars and child abductors to appear on the stairs. I certainly didn't want to put in out on the internet that 5 small children and a slow waddling mama were home alone.

The other thing I was worried about was going into labor while Tim was away, but obviously I'm still very round and now very tired. Likely I will start having contractions tonight, but if I do at least I won't have to be subjected to the walls beeping for several days!

where do they all go?

I bought a 5lb bag of Red Delicious apples at the commissary on Tuesday. I bought a 5 lb bag of Red Delicious apples at Giant Thursday afternoon. This is what the fuit bowl looks like at 11am on Friday.

If I hear one more time, "Mommy can I have an apple?" I'm going to scream. I know, I know, apples are good for you, they could be asking for cookies. Guess what is on my grocery list for this afternoon?

trying to raise GEEKS

I have likely read every parenting book out there that expresses some common sense, you know, the ones that were actually written by parents, rather than childless "development experts." My favorite authors are John Rosemond and Ray Guardendi, but Marybeth Hicks has made some outstanding contributions to practical parenting in this wacky world in her new book, Bringing Up GEEKS (Genuine, Enthusiastic, Empowered Kids): how to protect your kid's childhood in a grow-up-too-fast world. She has accomplished with her 4 children what most homeschoolers wish to with their children; raise children who are smart, sheltered, polite, team players, true friends, family oriented, and faithful to God.

While I think she does tend toward the simplistic side, "if you follow your own path rather than following the herd then your kids will automatically turn out great," she shows how the popular culture of childhood has turned out a generation of young adults who don't think, are not kind, don't believe in God, and are materialistic snobs. If we want better for our own children then we must be proactive and raise them differently. We must be counter-cultural.

We homeschoolers are the epitome of this theory, we are striving daily to guide our offspring to treasure those things that will bring us happiness in this world and the next. If you know of a new mom, I can't think of a more useful and generous gift than a copy of this book.

carnival of homeschooling

Sprittibee, another pregnant homeschool mama, is hosting the carnival this week with a very appropriate theme: baby development.

red envelopes

This is floating around the internet, I wish I could credit the creative woman who came up with it. I found 50 count packages of red Christmas envelopes on clearance at Staples for $1.50.

"Dear Friends and Intercessors: This afternoon I was praying about a number of things, and my mind began to wander. I was deeply distressed at the symbolic actions that President Obama took as he began his presidency. Namely, that he signed executive orders releasing funds to pay for abortions, permission to fund human stem cell research, and federal funding for contraception. I have been involved in the pro-life movement for nearly 20 years, and it pained my heart to see a man and a political party committed to the shedding of innocent blood. This man, and this party lead our country, but they do not represent me or the 54% of Americans who believe that abortion is wrong and should no longer be legal.

As I was praying, I believe that God gave me an interesting idea. Out in the garage I have a box of red envelopes. Like the powerful image of the red LIFE tape, an empty red envelope will send a message to Barack Obama that there is moral outrage in this country over this issue. It will be quiet, but clear.

Here is what I would like you to do: Get a red envelope. You can buy them at Kinkos, or at party supply stores.

On the front, address it to:
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, D.C. 20500

On the back, write the following message: This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception.

Put it in the mail, and send it. Then forward this email to every one of your friends who you think would send one too. I wish we could send 50 million red envelopes, one for every child who died before having a a chance to live. Maybe it will change the heart of the president. "

hard job

I've never had to fire anyone before, but this morning I let one of the babysitters know that we would no longer need her services. I have enough emotional upheaval in my life and I don't need to get phone calls during evening storytime filled with excuses and college angst. I certainly don't need to pay someone for an hour's worth of work and only get 45-50 minutes of face time. I don't like that all Timmy wants to do is cuddle in Will's lap, resulting in Will taking twice as long to get his assignments completed. The big downside is that the little ones will be watching more Little Bear and Thomas the Tank Engine videos.

Hopefully now we will have a little more peace in our home, which ironically is the reason I decided to hire sitters in the first place.

Thank you St. Anthony

While finding Quickfoot (the second alligator in the header) was due to Mary spotting a funny shade of green in the bushes while visiting the little girls next door, St. Anthony should not be forgotten. Likely, he nudged her to look down.

Now if I could find a child in my house with one ounce of common sense, one smidgen of thoughtfulness, one dash of quiet introspection I would be most grateful. They have all been so awful this week that I might be tempted to drop the whole crew off at the local orphanage if I knew where it was.

Now, where did I put that phone directory?

watch out, I'm crabby!

Maybe it is being 8 months pregnant and hormonal, or maybe I have legitimate gripes, you decide:

1. I went to the library this morning by myself (a special treat) and handed the librarian Mary's card, "I need to find out if there is anything on this card overdue or due soon."

"This isn't your card. You can't get any information about this person's account."

"It is my child's card. She is 8 years old. I am responsible for her welfare and her fines. I need to know if she has any overdue items."

"Sorry, I can't tell you."

So... this afternoon we canceled both Will and Mary's cards and I found out and received a household card on which I can check out 100 books. We have cards at 3 libraries in Maine and not one gives me grief about the kid's cards. Apparently it is state law in Maryland that privacy concerns trump common sense.

2. We stop by the grocery store this afternoon and I pull into a spot in la-la-land so I don't have anyone next to me. I get back to the van after picking up milk and light bulbs and find a huge Chevy Suburban parked 12" away from the side doors. This is not the first time that this has happened- which is WHY I park in Timbucktu. Perhaps I got a little testy, but I'm thinking of plastering a sign on the passenger side of the van: UNLESS YOU WANT BIG DENTS IN YOUR CAR, DO NOT PARK HERE. 6 KIDS MUST GET IN/OUT OF THIS VAN.

I recall one trip to the library about 2 weeks ago. We were walking back to the van to find someone pulling in the spot next to us. Will very carefully held the doors open so everyone could get inside and then he and Mary strapped in all the little kids. While I was walking around to hoist myself in, I heard a big thump, thump. Both the driver and her preteen child opened their doors right into the side of my van. I was soooo angry I wanted to pull my van out and slam it into the back of her car a few times. But I didn't. That is against the 7th commandment.

I guess in today's world a tiny bit of sense is just too much to ask for.

boys serving at the altar leads to more priests

Even though Will has been serving at the TLM for 2 years, we signed him up for a class offered through our local Catholic homeschool support group. I can't emphasize enough how much more seriously boys take Mass when they are serving at the altar. While Will is much more likely to become an engineer than a priest, it really is the best recruiting opportunity for the priesthood.

From National Catholic Register:

The altar servers at Holy Family Catholic Church in St. Louis Park, Minn., are a sight to behold. In their white surplices and black cassocks — red for special feasts like Christmas and Pentecost — six carry candles, while others process in with the cross, Sacramentary and incense thurible and boat. Between 12 and 20 altar servers assist at every Mass, every Sunday. On special feasts, the head count jumps to more than 30.And the most astonishing facet of the scene: All of the altar servers are boys.

Holy Family Church is one of a number of parishes that, after deciding to go with an all-boy corps of altar servers, have seen a notable increase in the number of boys participating in the life of the parish. At Holy Family, the decision was made 10 years ago, when only a few boys were servers. The surge was on immediately. Today, more than 60 boys stand at the ready. What’s happened is: The younger boys can’t wait to get on the altar,” says parishioner Bob Spinharney. “And the older boys, to their great credit, stay on even beyond high school age. So the younger boys always have role models to look up to.”

“And, clearly, reverent worship of God the Father through Jesus Christ in the liturgy is a calling card for vocations,” adds Father Dufner. In fact, one of the two current seminarians from this parish — from which four men have been ordained in the last 10 years — was an altar server. Both seminarians come back often to help the youngsters on Sundays, as do server alumni like Spinharney’s college-age son Jordan. The alumni become mentors.“Boys 7 and 8 are glued to the Mass, watching their friends and brothers,” says Rode. “They can’t wait.”

piece of cake

When I was pregnant with Mary I was so stressed at how I was going to cope with two small children. How was I going to nurse the baby, especially in public places, while also managing a toddler who liked to run? How was I going to keep the house relatively tidy? Somehow I managed and learned how, even though at the time it seemed I was pushing a boulder uphill. Then Tim left for a long deployment when I was pregnant with Maggie and I fretted and worried how I was going to cope with 3 small children by myself. Again, I learned tricks and methods that allowed me to do just fine.

Somehow I morphed from a newbie mom to an (almost) expert handler of multiple children. Then Charlie was born and I made a novice mistake of forgetting to bring newborn clothes to the hospital, forcing me to rummage in the diaper bag and come up with an 18 month size pink onsie. (no, we didn't take any "going home from the hospital" photos that day)

Tim had his moments of newborn parenting amnesia too, forgetting to bring the car seat into the maternity ward this last go-around, causing a verbal lashing from some busy-body nurse on the way out of the hospital. Couldn't she figure out that if we already had 4 healthy, intact children, it was very likely that we already owned umpteen carseats and the poor guy had his hands full trying to dress and herd them all into the hospital to pick up his wife?

This time around I am not really fretting about how I will cope. I just will. But the insomnia of late pregnancy leads me to surf the net and lurk on the BabyCenter pregnancy boards. I laugh when I read of moms of 1-2 children asking each other, "How am I going to manage?" and rant about their clueless husbands, "Yes, the house is a wreck, but I have a 4 year old to take care of too..." I sympathize with the women who freak out every time their bellies twinge, "should I call the doctor?" I marvel at the technology that allows women to proudly show off photos of their thriving preemies, some of whom were only 2lbs when born. I am grateful that I have a supportive husband and helpful children who are anxious to hold and care for the new baby. But most of all, I am glad that I am not one of those new mothers anymore. I have the experience to roll with the punches and look forward to welcoming a new soul into the world.

let the storm winds howl...

We are currently reading aloud The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. This book in the Little House series is not particularly adventurous or entertaining, it is composed of many long chapters describing the endless blizzards of the winter of 1880-1881. The daily struggle of life with no contact with others, little food, no coal or wood for heat, and little entertainment was daunting to even this family used to many hardships. I reminded the children that the Ingalls family was luckier than most in that they were well educated and could entertain themselves with reading, reciting, and singing. Pa's fiddle music brought them much comfort when the howling winds threatened to drive them all mad.

I certainly can't compare living in DC in 2009 to surviving a 7 month winter with few supplies, but we have our own hardships to deal with. Tim must spend 2+ hours on the bus getting to and from work each day because he hasn't yet been issued a parking permit at his new command. This means that he leaves before we wake up and doesn't get home until 6pm, leaving enough time to eat, bathe the children, and read a story or two before it is time for prayers and bed. He is exhausted each day and the burden of all the household chores, errands, and activities on me leads to a constant feeling of being overwhelmed. The blessing we experienced last year of Gwen coming over every afternoon so I could go running has not been repeated this year. One babysitter calls regularly to say she is already late, cancelling for the day, or reducing her hours. Luckily the other girl (a homeschooler) is reliable, but only comes 2 hours on Fridays. Getting anywhere in DC means listening to the traffic report and groaning when the main road is blocked by an accident or finding out that a side road is blocked by storm damage. City living is not a good fit for our family and we long for the day when we move up to Maine for good and settle into a rural, more relaxed life.

However, the children have enjoyed riding the METRO. Yesterday Will drew a very elaborate train and road system on a roll of paper and all of them were playing happily (for the most part) for over an hour.

Hopefully, the years we will spend on our homestead will be filled with laughter, music, stories of our adventures in the big city, and an attitude that can triumph over the nastiest winter storm.

newpapers battle over # of children British should have

A bit from "no more than 2":

Couples who have more than two children are being “irresponsible” by creating an unbearable burden on the environment, the government’s green adviser has warned.

Jonathon Porritt, who chairs the government’s Sustainable Development Commission, says curbing population growth through contraception and abortion must be at the heart of policies to fight global warming. He says political leaders and green campaigners should stop dodging the issue of environmental harm caused by an expanding population.

“I am unapologetic about asking people to connect up their own responsibility for their total environmental footprint and how they decide to procreate and how many children they think are appropriate,” Porritt said. Times Online

a snippet from the "more is merrier" piece:

...it was bunkum to suggest that it costs as much as the price of a family house to raise each child. By sharing bedrooms, baths and toys, he could see that each additional child in a large family worked out cheaper to raise than a child in a small family.

Nor did he feel it was fair to calculate that each child adds an additional 750 tons of carbon dioxide to the environment. "What about economies of scale?" he thought.

"A four-person household uses half as much electricity, per capita, as a home for one. The people who are messing up the planet are the single people living alone in swanky apartments." Telegraph

Don't want to pay your taxes?

I actually called Olympia Snowe's Maine office yesterday and asked if I could the same deals that nominees to Obama's Cabinet were receiving. (she voted in committee to confirm Geithner) After all, I have 5 children to feed and clothe and don't have 2 nannies or a driver. But no, that deal seems to be available only for Democrats who want average Americans to be "patriotic" and pay MORE taxes.

On the other hand, perhaps we could flush out all the tax dodgers in Washington, DC by looking closely at the rest of Obama's nominees.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Nancy Killefer, who failed for a year and a half to pay employment taxes on household help, has withdrawn her candidacy to be the first chief performance officer for the federal government, the White House said Tuesday.

When her selection was announced by Obama on Jan. 7, The Associated Press disclosed that in 2005 the District of Columbia government had filed a $946.69 tax lien on her home for failure to pay unemployment compensation tax on household help.


Obama's first choice for commerce secretary, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, took his name out of consideration when his confirmation appeared headed toward complications because of a grand jury investigation over how state contracts were issued to political donors.

More recently, Timothy Geithner was confirmed as Treasury secretary despite belatedly paying $34,000 in income taxes, and Tom Daschle is still waiting to see if his late payment of more than $128,000 in income taxes will harm his nomination to be health and human services secretary.

Killefer and her husband, an economics professor, had a teenage son and daughter, but she had two nannies and a personal assistant to run her life when she was on the road, she told Harvard business students back then.

carnival of homeschooling

Dewey's Treehouse is hosting the carnival this week with a Identity theme. Do you know what kind of homeschooler you are?

It isn't just FOCA

This is the first I have heard about this bill:

By Kathleen Gilbert
WASHINGTON, D.C., January 27, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - American Life League's (ALL) Judie Brown last week urged pro-lifers to actively oppose the Prevention First Act (PFA), legislation currently under review in Congress. The Act, if passed, would hand over millions to "family planning" methods, strike a blow to health providers' conscience rights, and financially pave the way for the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA).

The Prevention First Act, which was introduced in the first day of the new Congress, is currently under review by a congressional committee.

"It's a one-two punch: FOCA to strip away all the restrictions and then PFA to pour millions, if not billions, in the abortion industry," Jim Sedlak, executive director of American Life League's (ALL) STOPP International and an expert on Planned Parenthood, told LifeSiteNews.com. "The Prevention First Act ... opens the floodgates for Planned Parenthood and all kinds of birth control, contraception, [and] family planning money."

In addition to supplying abortion and contraception with more taxpayer funding, Sedlak pointed out coercive elements in the bill, including a title requiring all hospitals that do not provide emergency contraception for rape victims to surrender all federal funding.

"That provision would also result presumably in Catholic hospitals having to shut down if they refuse to provide contraception," said Sedlak, noting that such hospitals would lose Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements.

PFA would require Medicaid to cover contraceptives in the same format as had been proposed, then removed, in Obama's economic stimulus package. In addition, all health insurance programs that cover prescriptions would be required to cover the abortifacient morning-after pill.

stay of "execution" for crafters

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously (2-0) to issue a one year stay of enforcement for certain testing and certification requirements for manufacturers and importers of regulated products, including products intended for children 12 years old and younger.

Significant to makers of children’s products, the vote by the Commission provides limited relief from the testing and certification requirements which go into effect on February 10, 2009 for new total lead content limits (600 ppm), phthalates limits for certain products (1000 ppm), and mandatory toy standards, among other things.

The stay of enforcement provides some temporary, limited relief to the crafters, children’s garment manufacturers and toy makers who had been subject to the testing and certification required under the CPSIA. However, all businesses, including, but not limited to, handmade toy and apparel makers, crafters and home-based small businesses, must still be sure that their products conform to all safety standards and similar requirements, including the lead and phthalates provisions of the CPSIA.

The stay of enforcement on testing and certification does not address thrift and second hand stores and small retailers because they are not required to test and certify products under the CPSIA.

Museum of American History

The National Museum of American History has been closed for 2 years and just reopened in late November. With a free Saturday appearing on the calender I decided to take the big kids after breakfast and hop back on the field trip train. It had been a month since our last outing and boy, I noticed a big difference in my stamina. I can't imagine trying to go to work while 7-8 months pregnant since 5 hours walking around and riding the METRO wore me right out.

Both Will and Mary have been studying colonial history the past few months so we concentrated on looking at the Revolutionary War and life in colonial America exhibits, though we did hit a few of the other galleries.

George Washington's surveyor's equipment that he used to survey and resurvey Mt. Vernon and the box used to hold the papers from one of the Continental Congresses

Washington's camp stool and mess kit from the Revolutionary War

Washington's sword that he gave up at the end of the war

At dinner I asked each child what they liked the best about the museum. Will chose the C3PO costume from Return of the Jedi and the steam locomotive in the huge transportation exhibit. Mary picked the computerized world map that let her pinpoint where she, her parents, and grandparents were born. Maggie of course, chose the enormous dollhouse that makes our's look like a shack.

I finally pulled the children out the door after complaining that I couldn't walk another step, but promised another trip sometime soon. I recommend going as early in the morning as possible, as the afternoon wore on there were long lines for everything from the lockers to store coats to the very informational Star Spangled Banner exhibit. I want to add on a trip to Fort McHenry for the children to better understand the War of 1812.

May God bless America and help us teach our children much more of our nation's glorious history.

where do you want to live?

While I am proud that we are a military family, one of the big downsides is the fact that we don't get to pick where we live. Navy hospitals are always in big cities surrounded by endless suburbs, be it Portsmouth, VA, Washington, DC, or Naples, Italy. So the whole family is looking forward to the big retirement day when we can unpack our things for the very last time and sit on our front porch and see just trees, fields, and sky. To get an idea of the scale, that little dark blob in the middle of the field is a large JD tractor, we can only see 1 house from anywhere on our farm.

Apparently many of my fellow Americans feel the same way:

...Pew Research Center survey out today on where Americans would most like to live. Whether they favor cities, suburbs or the countryside, almost half wish they lived somewhere else, the report found. City dwellers are more likely to dream of living somewhere else, and men in rural areas are far happier living there than women.

• 46% would prefer to live in a different type of community from the one they now reside. Adults 50 to 64 who live in cities are the least likely to say they live in the ideal place; two-thirds of those in that age group who live in the country say they couldn't imagine living anywhere else.

When Joe Higginbotham goes to town, he never runs into traffic jams. He never has to circle to find a parking spot. And he never has to worry about safety. "I can park my car in the street, get out, leave the keys in the ignition," says Higginbotham, 57, a retired instrument engineer for a large paper company. He runs errands at the bank, store and post office and makes a stop at the local saloon and "nobody bothers anything. … I love it here." What Higginbotham calls "his little piece of heaven" is Palisade, Colo., 15 miles east of Grand Junction. Population: 2,793. Traffic light: one. USAToday

When I head up to the nearest grocery store from our farm I might see 3 cars during the 10 mile trip. When I went to the Commissary yesterday afternoon it took me 3 cycles of the stoplight to simply cross Georgia Ave.

the bad, bad Tooth Fairy

After the first few children have gone through the ritual of putting their baby teeth under their pillows and receiving cash, I admit that this time around my excitement has faded. (maybe it has something to do with knowing the cost of orthodonture for 6 children) While I should be thrilled that Maggie lost her first tooth, I was just too tired to remember to sneak into her room for the switch.

The next morning a very disappointed little girl said, "I tried to stay up all night to catch the Tooth Fairy, but she never came!" I escaped parental purgatory by pointing out that her ziplock baggie wasn't under her pillow, but on Mary's bed so how could the Tooth Fairy be expected to find it? However, during the course of the day the clear baggie disappeared (much like a certain alligator, could we have Borrowers in the house?) and Tim told her, "No tooth, no money."

But little Maggie was determined indeed, she wiggled her other bottom front tooth and dashed into my room at 9pm Wednesday night, "I lost the other tooth!" You can just guess... I forgot again!

Thursday morning we put the little pearl in a special wooden box and Maggie made a Kleenex bed for it to stay safe. We also wrote this short letter to the Tooth Fairy explaining all that had happened.

Luckily, this poor excuse for a Mommy Extraordinaire remembered long enough to slip that $2 under Maggie's pillow and enclose my own note.

how many babies CAN fit inside a pregnant woman?

There is the scientific answer:

...the largest reported number of fetuses in one womb was 15...The largest set of children to be born together and survive—not including this week's octuplets, who are all still alive—is seven.
How do so many babies fit in one woman? The limit isn't so much the number of babies as their volume and weight. In general, once the total weight of the babies inside reaches about 12 pounds, the uterus goes into labor. The greater the number of fetuses, the earlier the labor will occur. (The rough formula for due dates is to start at 40 weeks of gestation for one baby and subtract three weeks for each additional child: 37 for twins, 34 for triplets, etc. It's remarkable, then, that eight fetuses were able to gestate for 30 weeks, as in the California case.) ... If the uterus gets too big and the fetuses too heavy, it can be difficult for the woman to breathe. The amount of placental tissue can also cause the mother to develop pre-eclampsia, or pregnancy-related hypertension. seniors world chronicle

And the Mommy with a 34+ week baby inside her tummy answer: 1 is plenty!

where did Quickfoot go?

Yesterday was a zoo. Between not waking up until after 7am and then the kids clambering to get outside in the snow, I was off to a rough start. Timmy pulled the typical toddler act of wanting to go out, but taking more time getting his snowsuit and boots on than he spent outside. I must have taken off 12 pairs of boots, dried 14 pairs of gloves, and swept the kitchen floor 6 times to get rid of the snow. I was certainly dreaming of a future mudroom with vinyl floors, hooks for coats, and a place to lay out mittens and hats to dry. One day I will have these things, but in Maine where they will be needed on a daily basis, not just once or twice a year.

The other thing that threw me off was the missing header picture on the blog. It just disappeared. Well, easy enough to fix, I'll just find the photo file and put it back in. No luck, I took that picture with my non-digital camera, it is stored on the old computer in Maine, and I have apparently lost the disk.

Plan B would be to take another picture of the two alligator bath toys. But.... I could only find one, even after looking all over the house two times, stooping uncomfortably to peer under beds, in toy chests, in the basement. Then I remembered that we had spotted the exact same alligator at the thrift shop last week and the kids begged me to get it. Maybe it is still there a week later?

So, after dropping off Will and Mary at piano we searched the toy aisle but of course it was gone. We did find a close substitute. I bet Will $5 that we will find Quickfoot (one of the two baby alligators in the picture book, No Fighting, No Biting by Else Minarik) when we pack up this house in 2 years, but until then, the lizard will have to do.

For fun read Creative Minority Report's adventure of Dad trying to get 5 kids to the doctor's office in record time and finding out 1/2 way there that 1 kid forgot his shoes... I haven't laughed so hard in a long, long time!

carnival of homeschooling

Life on the Road is hosting this week's carnival: The Adventure Edition.

incentive

This is the first morning in 2 years that the children have woken up to snow dusting the ground. I stumbled downstairs at 7:15 to notice and issue a proclamation, "No going outside until everyone finishes their schoolwork!"

30 minutes later Will is working on his 3rd subject, a speed record for my pokiest child.

say what?

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi boldly defended a move to add birth control funding to the new economic "stimulus" package, claiming "contraception will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government."

Pelosi, the mother of 5 children and 6 grandchildren, who once said, "Nothing in my life will ever, ever compare to being a mom," seemed to imply babies are somehow a burden on the treasury.

The revelation came during an exchange Sunday morning on ABC's THIS WEEK.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Hundreds of millions of dollars to expand family planning services. How is that stimulus?

PELOSI: Well, the family planning services reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children's health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of those - one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government.

It is all about the power over the people. These are the folks who want to give you "universal health care" and have the power to dictate medical treatments for every American: if 85 year old ladies get cancer treatment, if babies with genetic disorders are quietly "put to sleep", if mamas of 6 kids are sterilized without their knowledge, if teen girls are injected with birth control, if doctors and nurses and Catholic hospitals will be required to participate in abortion...

To say this is scary is putting it mildly.

winter scene

The builder up in Maine just sent us updated photos of our barn/machine shed that he is working on. The kids saw and immediately lamented the lack of snow we have here in DC. "There will be plenty of snow, even for you, once we move up there, I promise."

I was impressed that Timmy recognized the garage, "Our farm!"

a blessing for all of us

Millions of rosaries have been offered for the reconciliation of SSPX and the Vatican, including one every day for the past 4 years by my dear husband Tim.

This just came out this morning:

Press release
of the Superior General of the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X

The excommunication of the bishops consecrated by His Grace Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, on June 30, 1988, which had been declared by the Congregation for Bishops in a decree dated July 1, 1988, and which we had always contested, has been withdrawn by another decree mandated by Benedict XVI and issued by the same Congregation on January 21, 2009.

We express our filial gratitude to the Holy Father for this gesture which, beyond the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X, will benefit the whole Church. Our Society wishes to be always more able to help the pope to remedy the unprecedented crisis which presently shakes the Catholic world, and which Pope John Paul II had designated as a state of “silent apostasy.”

Besides our gratitude towards the Holy Father and towards all those who helped him to make this courageous act, we are pleased that the decree of January 21 considers as necessary “talks” with the Holy See, talks which will enable the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X to explain the fundamental doctrinal reasons which it believes to be at the origin of the present difficulties of the Church.

In this new atmosphere, we have the firm hope to obtain soon the recognition of the rights of Catholic Tradition

Menzingen, January 24, 2009
+Bernard Fellay

ditto what she says...

As Kathryn Jean Lopez said about the March for Life in this article from National Review Online, "This is what feminism looks like." (the text was imposed over a picture of Pope Benedict XVI)

homeschooled boys learn...

how to use reference materials by first asking, "Mommy where is that book that shows all the synonyms of words?" then shuffling through the pages before proclaiming, "Mary is malodorous!"

Not my preferred method of learning new vocabulary words, but it was good for a chuckle. After all, he doesn't really believe she smells, she simply has girl cooties.

why we are not going to the March for Life today

I just don't think I can handle being 7 months pregnant with no bathroom access, trying to keep track of 5 children in freezing weather, no means of parking my enormous van at a METRO station, and hauling enough food and supplies for all of us. We will say a Rosary for those who are traveling to DC today to take part in the March for Life. I wonder if all the trash that was left all over the Mall has been picked up yet. I don't recall seeing a single piece of litter after the March I attended a few years ago. Who are the environmentalists again? Can someone say, Leave no trace?"

This is going to be a very difficult time for those of us who love life, President Obama has already reversed the Mexico City policy of the US not paying for foreign abortions and rescinded President Bush's executive order that gave physicians and medical personnel freedom not to be forced to participate in abortion.

Here is a statement by Archbishop Burke for today:

Today is the 36th Anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s infamous decision in the cases Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, by which the highest court of our nation took away the safeguard of the most fundamental of all rights, the right to life, from the most vulnerable members of the human family, the unborn. Rightly, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has, for some time, designated this day as a Day of Penance for Violations to the Dignity of the Human Person, and of Prayer for the Full Restoration of the Legal Guarantee of the Right to Life.

January 22nd is to be observed “as a particular day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life” (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 373). The legacy of the just-mentioned decisions has been an unconscionable decline in the respect for all human life.

By now, you are familiar with the latest and most heinous anti-life legislation the people of the United States of America are facing: the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). The passage of FOCA would lift all restrictions on procured abortion, force taxpayers to participate in the funding of procured abortions; revoke all informed consent, parental notification and conscience protection laws; and force even Catholic hospitals to perform abortions, which clearly would necessitate the closing of Catholic hospitals. I ask you to pray for the defeat of FOCA and to do all you can to work against its passage, while also working to protect existing pro-life legislation. For more information on how to become involved, please visit the USCCB website at http://www.usccb.org.prolife/.

In a special way, I address you, the members of the Marian Catechist Apostolate, on this Day of Penance. Reflecting on the circumstances in society which give rise to the necessity of a Day of Penance for Violations to the Dignity of the Human Person, I am deeply conscious of the much needed service of the Marian Catechist Apostolate in the renewal of society. I take the occasion of this most sad anniversary for our nation, to encourage you to redouble your efforts to grow in personal holiness and knowledge of the Catholic Faith, that you may always be equipped to share generously and courageously the richness of the Faith with others, for the transformation of society.

...Please join me today and always in calling upon the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe for the transformation of the culture death into a civilization of divine love and life. Invoking God’s blessing upon you and your home, I am Yours devotedly in Christ,

(Most Rev.) Raymond L BurkeArchbishop Emeritus of Saint LouisPrefect, Apostolic Signatura of the Supreme Tribunal

you got that?

time to break out "the book"

A friend gave me a copy of On Becoming Babywise about a month before our oldest child was born (gosh, that was 11 years ago!). The premise is to put your infant on a sleep/wake schedule so they have a routine to their day and start sleeping through the night quite early. We have followed most of the plan and this very light-sleeping mommy is happy to report that all our babies started sleeping 6-8 hours stretches at night at around 2 months of age. In their own room.

Now, over the years I have heard many, many critiques, angry comments, accusations of neglect... from other mothers for following this plan. But what is so evil about making sure that a baby eats and is awake every 2-3 hours during the day? What is so horrid about making sure a baby doesn't sleep all day and stay up all night? I do have other children that need my attention and if I had experienced much more sleep-deprivation I doubt we would have had more than 1-2 children. I certainly have not had to deal with issues like these (from Faith and Family's coffee talk board this week):

I have an 18 month old who will sleep for a few hours on his own in a crib but then starts waking beginning about 1 a.m and wakes several times during the night. I have taken to bringing him into our bed and letting him nurse. However, he ends up nursing most of the night, latching on and off every 5 to 10 minutes... I love my son dearly, but my husband and I are suffering from sleep deprivation. I’m in my seventh month of pregnancy and having great difficulty being comfortable nursing and sleeping with my pregnant tummy.



We co-slept with our babies and they have never left! They are between 6 and 10 years old now and they will not, cannot sleep by themselves. We tried putting them in a room with each other but it wasn’t not enough. They are scared, they want snuggling, etc. They can’t even go to sleep until one of us lays down with them. So here we are, still all together. We’ve tried to force the issue several times over the years but we caved after all the wailing and sleepless nights.

lines worthy of the DMV

Well, God didn't grant my prayer request for a massive blizzard on this most depressing day, but at least all the Obama-fans got a little taste of what the next 4 years are going to be like if our new President has his way...

Lines of thousands of people snaked around the perimeter of the Cannon, Longworth and Rayburn buildings and down Independence Ave. as many ticket holders waited as long as four hours to clear security to enter the House offices to obtain their (inaugural) tickets.

"I'm freezing!" exclaimed Janae Wills of Decatur, Ill., who waited outside the Cannon House Office Building.

Her congressman seemed just as exasperated. "This is the craziest system I've seen," said the Illinois Democrat. "They should have opened every door. They should have gotten extra security. I can't shut people out. People (from his district) traveled 700 miles for this."

On a typical day, everyone except lawmakers must pass through a magnetometer and have their bags and cell phones X-rayed before entering the House office buildings. But on Monday, U.S. Capitol Police required all visitors, congressional aides and credentialed journalists to remove their shoes before coming inside.

carnival of homeschooling

Beverly is hosting the carnival this week with a cute theme about a found hat. We picked up a John Deere baseball hat for Will at the thrift store yesterday (everything was 50% off, how could I NOT go?) and I'm afraid he will remember to wear it more often than his retainer.

"Take that thing off at the supper table!"

the longest week of the year...

is week 15 of the school calendar. We follow Seton's lesson plans pretty faithfully and I find that that particular week drags on and on. There another 3 weeks to go before the end of the quarter and the dreaded book reports still have yet to be started. Then it seems like BAM! we break through and we reach the promised land of week 17.

Usually what I do is let the stack of work get progressively shorter as we take the quarter's tests, starting fresh after we send the whole packet out in the mail. However, this year with Baby Sunshine due in 7 weeks, I am pushing ahead on these subjects until all the assignments are completed. So while Will is still on week 16 in history

(they put down reading the whole chapter in 1 day which is too much info to process and retain), he is on week 20 in science (bees are very interesting creatures). Mary is on week 17 in most subjects, but week 19 in history and week 20 in science.

I have tried to explain my need to get as much school finished as possible before the baby arrives, but I still hear whining, "I took the test in this already!" The only subject I haven't gotten any complaints about is Will's science text, Apologia's Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day. I am glad we chose this alternative book, we are learning lots about birds, bats, flying dinosaurs, and insects and it is presented in a Christian and colorful manner.

today...

is National Sanctity of Life Day:

All human life is a gift from our Creator that is sacred, unique, and worthy of protection. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, our country recognizes that each person, including every person waiting to be born, has a special place and purpose in this world. We also underscore our dedication to heeding this message of conscience by speaking up for the weak and voiceless among us.

The most basic duty of government is to protect the life of the innocent. My Administration has been committed to building a culture of life by vigorously promoting adoption and parental notification laws, opposing Federal funding for abortions overseas, encouraging teen abstinence, and funding crisis pregnancy programs. In 2002, I was honored to sign into law the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which extends legal protection to children who survive an abortion attempt. I signed legislation in 2003 to ban the cruel practice of partial birth abortion, and that law represents our commitment to building a culture of life in America. Also, I was proud to sign the Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004, which allows authorities to charge a person who causes death or injury to a child in the womb with a separate offense in addition to any charges relating to the mother.

America is a caring Nation, and our values should guide us as we harness the gifts of science. In our zeal for new treatments and cures, we must never abandon our fundamental morals. We can achieve the great breakthroughs we all seek with reverence for the gift of life.
The sanctity of life is written in the hearts of all men and women. On this day and throughout the year, we aspire to build a society in which every child is welcome in life and protected in law. We also encourage more of our fellow Americans to join our just and noble cause. History tells us that with a cause rooted in our deepest principles and appealing to the best instincts of our citizens, we will prevail.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 18, 2009, as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. I call upon all Americans to recognize this day with appropriate ceremonies and to underscore our commitment to respecting and protecting the life and dignity of every human being.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

GEORGE W. BUSH

progress

Michelle of Rosetta Stone asked when she and her 6 kids came over on Wednesday for a playdate, "How do you get any sewing done?"


Yesterday afternoon while Timmy napped I let the kids loose with a box of brownie mix and Mary's EZ Bake Oven. While the kitchen looked like a bomb had gone off in a truffle factory, I was able to put another row on each side of my on-going project.

It was pretty much a given...

that the heroic pilot of Flight 1549, Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger is a military veteran. Following proper Captain protocol, he walked the plane twice to make sure no passengers were left behind before getting off himself.

I bet even the liberals on board were grateful for the tax dollars required for training Navy and Air Force pilots. May God bless all our military and retired military members this day.

it wasn't me!

A conservative mom of 5 called Rush Limbaugh the other day:

CALLER: I'm in my thirties, and I see the hypocrisy, the double standards of our government, particularly the Democrats, and it's frustrating. I do it right. You know, my husband has a good job. We didn't borrow too much money and we put 20% down on our house and now I'm told I have to sacrifice; I have to give. Well, wait a minute. My husband works hard. I work hard. We raise our family. We take care of our family. I just want the government to leave me alone. Let me raise my family.

RUSH: I agree a hundred percent, but unfortunately the American people elected somebody that doesn't want to leave you alone... They elected somebody that wants to blame people like you! ...You are in your early thirties, and you got five crumb crunchers?

CALLER: -- ...yes, five children that my husband and I could afford, we could raise. We can love. We can take care of. But to liberals, I am a terrible person....You know, the world's overpopulated, I'm contributing to global warming, and --

RUSH: ...they'll start attacking you personally. They'll start attacking the people you believe in. I mean, it's fun to do if you can keep your sanity about it, but, look, the hypocrisy...You're seeing all these double standards... There's a different set of rules for Democrats and Republicans.

I'm going to tell you why that is, Danielle. The reason why Republicans are held to higher standards is twofold, two reasons. One, they actively suggest that they have higher standards that they seek to reach and attain. At the same time, they are despised (this is the second reason) by liberals and the media precisely because they attempt to maintain standards.

The left, on the other hand, they don't talk about maintaining any standards -- behavioral, personal, or otherwise. There aren't any. Liberalism, in fact, is not based on standards. So they really can't commit ethics violations, ...But a party that maintains it has no standards -- in fact, standards are judgmental, standards are discriminatory, standards are unfair.

There are two sets of rules. Nothing's fair, and the so-called arbiter of the rules have chosen up sides, the media, and they've thrown in entirely with the Democrats.

I'm proud of my clothes shopping venue!

This article from Britain reminded me of seeing the cover of the National Enquirer when it announced, "Angela Jolie: pregnant again with twins!" Real moms know that she doesn't actually take care of all these children, her staff does that. She can still get up at 8am, take an uninterrupted shower, do a 60 minute workout with her trainer, eat a prepared breakfast, and put on her makeup without 3 children asking her, "Mommy, why are you putting goop on your face?" The only thing that Mrs. Brad Pitt does is attempt to make American mothers feel guilty for not looking as glamorous (but with no hired help).

The premise is that a aristocrat goes slumming to see what all the hubbub is about in the English equivalent of $ stores. But the message is all about class status and how one should not venture beyond one's sphere, including shopping venues. This is the exact opposite rationale in my all time favorite money books, The Millionaire Next Door. Most American millionaires drive 10 year old cars, many clip coupons, and they don't show off their money. My guess that most British bigwigs didn't actually earn their money, they inherit it and the pompous attitude comes for free.

Luckily here in America there is no social stigma from shopping at the thrift store. In fact while we were stationed in Italy the officer's wives club held a luncheon, complete with a runway modeling session showcasing all the fabulous clothes one could purchase at the on-base thrift shop they ran for charity. It was a stitch watching the Marine Brig. General's wife helping the Admiral's wife zip up the back of her dress, "Isn't this lovely, can you believe it was only $3!"

The Daily Mail on-line The daughter of Lord Wyatt and Hungarian baroness Veronica Banszky von Ambroz, she's not your average shopper.

What is a girl like me doing in a shop like this? My idea of a bargain has always been the Harvey Nichols sale, while my food has been sourced locally from Waitrose. This week, I read about a chain called Poundland...

Edmonton Green does not exactly shriek with chic. No fashionista would be caught dead in such a shopping centre. Half the shoppers look grey and sort of hopeless. The other half look like criminals.

The majority of Poundland customers are of the social class C1 and C2. Store manager Mike Fields later tells me that 'a lot of people used to look down on us, but things are changing. We have seen an increasing number of middle-class shoppers. They can't afford to look down on us now.'

I approach a middle-aged woman who looks as apprehensive as I do and is wearing a silk scarf. She says her name is Mary and she started coming here a month ago. 'The area's a bit dodgy', she whispers. 'But in this economic climate I can't afford Waitrose. I do feel there is a bit of a social stigma attached, but what can I do?'

There are more middle-class shoppers here, looking furtive, as if they'd been caught in a massage parlour. I approach one well-dressed woman and tell her I'm writing an article. 'Go away,' she hisses, holding her hand to her face.

To my astonishment, I spot a young woman wearing an expensive Emilio Pucci scarf and clutching a Louis Vuitton bag. Are things as bad as all that, I ask? Is her husband an unemployed hedge-fund manager? The young woman, who is called Elizabeth, grins. Her husband, who is dressed like a preppie, appears from the gardening tools section and looks equally amused.
'I'm not bankrupt, but I come here because it's cheap and why not save money?' he says in an American accent. 'We've just come here from the States and we don't understand this English thing about being ashamed to be in a store like this. You Brits had better change.

educational opportunity or just a big mess?

I have never been very sympathetic with homeschooling moms who buy curriculum at the drop of a hat and then abandon it, leaving their bookshelves full of stuff they don't use (after all, that stuff is really expensive). But I do have the tendency to collect games and puzzles at the thrift store which I justify by them being both educational and fun. Who can argue against purchase of a brand new River Crossing game for the low price of $2?

We have geography games, trivia games, word games, and thinking skills games. We have wooden puzzles for the toddler set, 24 piece puzzles for the preschoolers, and 100-500 piece puzzles for the big kids. Unfortunately we only have one place to put all these boxes and if Maggie or Charlie pull at a puzzle they tend to make the stacks unstable, leading to them toppling all over the floor.

While we do play with some of these games and spend much time putting together puzzles, I wish there was a better way to organize and schedule time to play together as a family. Every so often we have movie night, but maybe we should have a regular weekly night to actually play all these wonderful learning games. Otherwise the collection is just a very colorful wall decoration.

carnival of homeschooling

Alasandra is hosting the carnival this week with a teal theme in honor of cervical/ovarian cancer awareness month. Please keep up-to-date on your pap smears and read over the symptoms of ovarian cancer. My mother passed away in 2007 from this silent cancer, living only 6 months from diagnosis.

making a list, checking it twice

You would think that by baby #6 I wouldn't need very many clothes. As luck would have it I thought we were all finished with that part of our lives and gave away 5 bags of baby clothes (mostly girl things) 3 weeks before I found out I was pregnant again.

After last week's consumer "protection" scare I made a list of everything I could possibly need in the near future. By guessing a great deal, I figure we shell out about $800/year for outfitting 6 kids by buying used, while buying the same clothes retail would cost over $3000/year. With the possibility of this valuable piece of paper getting lost, I decided to go ahead and buy what I needed. $200 later we have only a few pairs of boots to search for and the whole crew as well as baby Sunshine are ready to be outfitted for the next 4 years.

I just really hope that the ultrasound tech was quite sure that it is a girl!

story time

this from The London Telegraph:
The poll of 3,000 British parents - by TheBabyWebsite.com - revealed a quarter of mothers now rejected some classic fairy tales.

Sarah Pilkinton, 36, a mother-of-three from Sevenoaks, Kent, told researchers: "I loved the old fairy stories when I was growing up. I still read my children some of the classics like Sleeping Beauty and Goldilocks, but I must admit I've not read them The Gingerbread Man or Hansel and Gretel. "They are both a bit scary and I remember having difficulty sleeping after being read those ones when I was little."

Two-thirds of parents said traditional fairytales had stronger morality messages than many modern children's stories. But many said they were no longer appropriate to soothe youngsters before bed. Almost 20 per cent of adults said they refused to read Hansel and Gretel because the children were abandoned in a forest - and it may give their own sons and daughters nightmares. A fifth did not like to read The Gingerbread Man as he gets eaten by a fox.

The most popular book read at bedtime is now The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.
The simple tale, which features a greedy caterpillar eating too much food, was written in 1969. (perhaps with the current epidemic of childhood obesity this one should be struck from the list too)
It also emerged 65 per cent of parents preferred to read their children happier tales at bedtime, such as the Mr Men, The Gruffalo and Winnie the Pooh.
Three quarters of mothers and fathers try to avoid stories which might give their children nightmares and half of all parents would not consider reading a single fairy tale to their child until they reached the age of five.

Top bedtime stories of 2008:
1. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle (1969) (okay, we have this one)
2. Mr Men, Roger Hargreaves (1971)
3. The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson (1999)
4. Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne (1926) (we have my childhood copy)
5. Aliens Love Underpants, Claire Freedman & Ben Cort (2007)
6. Thomas and Friends from The Railway Series, Rev.W.Awdry (1945)
7. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame (1908) (another one from my childhood bookshelf)
8. What a Noisy Pinky Ponk!, Andrew Davenport (2008)
9. Charlie and Lola, Lauren Child (2001)
10. Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Robert Southey (1837)

Top 10 fairy tales we no longer read:
1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
2. Hansel and Gretel
3. Cinderella
4. Little Red Riding Hood
5. The Gingerbread Man
6. Jack and the Beanstalk
7. Sleeping Beauty
8. Beauty and the Beast
9. Goldilocks and the Three Bears
10. The Emperor's New Clothes

We own all 10 of these "non-read" books and have almost read them to pieces. I guess we aren't very PC or worried about scaring our little tykes. The funny thing is that I can't remember the last time any of our kids had a nightmare. Children are very observant and can tell the difference between a real story and a fairy tale. Mine are always asking, "Is this book true?" I do admit to adding commentary during some of the stories, such as in Jack and the Beanstalk, "Would you trade your cow for some magic beans? (isn't it a fairy tale ponzi scheme?) The giant's wife is pretty dumb, isn't she? (Would you let some stranger in our house?) How did the mother know that was Jack's father's magic hen? (don't all chickens look alike?) How would they get that dead giant out of there? (the smell would be pretty awful. I would think they would have to move?)" The kids giggle and we read on.

A few weeks ago the older children and the girls next door put together the play of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. They copied the text, rehearsed, made props, labeled the seats for the parents, and put on the production. It was a hit! I was amazed that 3 year old Kate could remember her lines, and they even offered refreshments after the show. I would reassure British parents that no one seemed to be frightened of bears or little girls with no manners.

If a child is never exposed to stories that have drama and heroics then they will be limited in their thinking and problem solving skills. Children also need exposure to tales in which good triumphs over evil. I urge parents of little ones to read classic fairy tales and other good stories to their children every day, for if they do, they will one day find their 8 year old huddled in the bathroom at 9pm staring at a novel.

"What are you doing? Get back in bed."

"But, I LOVE to read!"

I would like to think...

that if we had been in that METRO station I would have had the kids sit in a circle around Joshua and just listen. A museum can wait, it will still be there next time, but to hear this is priceless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnOPu0_YWhw

I don't know who wrote this, but it certainly made an impact on me:

A man sat at a metro station in Washington, DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousand of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.
The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tugged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?
One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

update on Consumer Products Act

I just got off the phone with a nice lady at the Consumer Products Safety Commission and feel much more calm than I was a few days ago. Yesterday the Commission put out a bulletin that stated that used products were exempt from lead testing. So thrift stores and children's consignment stores as well as the parents who shop there are safe from closure.

However, there was still the issue of small and cottage industries such as moms who make diapers, slings, quilts, etc. from having to test every item which folks say costs between $500-$4000 per component. It seems that the onus for safety should be on the manufacturer of the fabric, leather, metal... instead of the person who uses it to make something. Why should the regulations be different for a person making a dress for themselves vs. making one to sell to their neighbor? Shouldn't the materials be safe for all?

So after expressing these concerns to the Commission's staff member she stated that they will be issuing more clarifications and exemptions in regards to these very citizens. She said she couldn't tell me to ignore the law, but she said that they will be focusing their efforts on those products that pose the greatest risk and I should "read between the lines."

So... it seems that we won one small battle for American families and small businesses, but we must be constantly vigilant, since there seems to be ever more pushing for Brave New World policies in our nation.

grammar police again

effect: a noun that means "as a result of"
affect: a verb that mean "to cause"

advice: a noun that means "suggestion to another"
advise: a verb that means "to give a suggestion"

Please, homeschooling mothers look uneducated and incapable of teaching even 6 year olds if they can't distinguish between a noun and a verb. And don't even get me started on using "I or me" and "good or well."

playing nicely together

The children are down in the dark, cold basement playing with an assortment of rope, clothes hangers, an old treadle sewing machine base, and lots of empty boxes.

"Get ready to dive!!"

"Four degrees down!"

"What are you playing?" Mary asks as she descends the stairs after practicing her Gregorian chant.

"Submarine."

"Cool, I wanna be Captain Nemo!"