Laugh, and then weep...
Despite the fact that in 2010 we will pay double what we used to for private healthcare insurance that will provide far less than half the benefits we had in 2009, I still don't want the government to manage my healthcare!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
Jesse Tree Garland
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It's not too late to add meaning to your Advent by making Jesse Tree ornaments! And nothing helps prepare us more for Christmas than reflecting on our salvation history!
The ornaments in the pictures were each made by a different mom or homeschool family. Each of them made 28 of one design and then they got together to swap them. Great idea, no?
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
I've Got Blogging on My Mind
I just misread a book title as Blogger Stories for Little Folks instead of Bigger Stories....
Saturday, October 17, 2009
My Granddaughter
Last summer seems a lifetime ago!
In September, on the feast of St. Pio, my granddaughter, Vivian Marie, was born. When we realized that she was alive and was going to live, at least for a time, there was such joy in the crowded birthing suite! Two sets of grandparents, two aunts, an uncle, cousins, and dear friends celebrated her birth with her parents and brother. Prayers had been answered and the glory of God was visible.
You see, Vivian Marie had a condition called anencephaly, in which part of her brain and skull did not form. Her chances of surviving birth were a little less than 50:50. But survive she did, and we were graced with 15 hours of miraculous life. I don't think it's hyperbole to say that her 15 hours with us changed our lives. Her parents gave their fiat to God, and agreed to accept whatever time God would give them with little Vivian. What's more, they did so with love and a desire to honor her life, however short it might be. I could not help but think of our Blessed Mother as I watched my daughter-in-law labor for hours, knowing all too well that she would be giving the life of her daughter to God, much as Mary gave Jesus to the Father.
Vivian Marie is our little lamb, my son and daughter-in-law's, my husband's and mine, all of us who loved and love her still. Certainly we, and hundreds of people on prayer chains far and wide, were praying for a miracle, were praying for Vivian Marie to be born intact, whole, and healthy. God had other plans. We who love her suffer, and yet we are called to unite our sorrow with that of our Lord in His Passion. "Not my will, but Thine," said Jesus to His Father.
I pray that God will do wondrous things with our suffering, with my daughter-in-law's and son's acceptance of theirs and Vivian's cross. My mother used to tell me that God loves more those to whom He gives greater sufferings. (She probably learned that from St. Terese of the Child Jesus.) Experiencing Vivian Marie's birth, brief life, and death has shown me a reason why. It is because He is thereby allowing us a fuller participation in His Passion, and therefore in His Life. That is indeed a great gift.
I give thanks for Kyle and Genece and Jonathan. I marvel at their love that was incarnate in Vivian Marie and shown to all through their actions, as they carefully honored her life and cherish her memory. God gave the Virgin Mary (and all of us) the joy of the Resurrection. I cannot but hope that He will--even in this valley of tears--give Kyle, Genece, and Jonathan a resurrected joy, a healing of their brokenness, and a peace which surpasses all understanding.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
A Manual Man
That's who I'm married to-- a guy who knows how to troubleshoot, reads the manuals that make my eyes glaze over, and, solves problems! Woo-hoo!
The latest, or should I say "la test" began with my asking if the old (and I mean really old) surge protector that I found in the basement and used for my computer in our bedroom was still good, and how would we know. Krazyglue said he'd check it out. His first discovery: that the surge protector has a red and a green light, but only the red one was lit. So he looks for a brand name in order to research it online. I call out that it's probably by a company that no longer exists. Don't know why I was so pessimistic. He found the site and quickly found the explanation for the lights. If the green one doesn't light up, then that outlet has no functional ground and the surge protector is rendered useless.
Next, Krazyglue checks on the other outlets in the bedroom, and guess what? None of them seems to have a working ground. Yikes! A nearby lightning strike about 6 or 7 years ago fried the phone and answering machine that was in our bedroom. Was the damage from that strike? So being the systematic guy he is, Krazyglue begins checking out most of the rest of the outlets in the house. Green light comes on for all. All except those in our room.
Now we have a most peculiar design in our bedrooms. All the rooms come with a light switch by the door, but there are no overhead lights. Instead, the light switch operates the upper plug of the outlet nearest to the wall switch. Not the outlet across the room, so that you could plug a light in across the way and not have to stumble at night to turn it on. Noooo. No, the clods who did the electrical on our house put those little wall switches in I guess to save us from reaching 6 inches further to turn on a lamp plugged in adjacent to the wall switch.
Krazyglue decides to look first at the outlet where we had plugged in our zapped answering machine. It looked normal. Next he took out the wall switch that operates the upper half of that outlet. It did not have any neutral or ground, but he later determined that that was normal. He consulted a handyman friend who gave him some other things to check, as well as with his dad, an electrical engineer, who told him to look for an outlet that was wired in reverse. He pulled out more outlets in the bedroom. They were all fine. It was then that he noticed that the small dorm room fridge we have to keep insulin in was running. Wait a minute! All the outlets were supposedly on the same circuit! So he finds the breaker for that outlet, turns it off, and pulls that outlet out. Bingo! It was wired wrong. He corrected the problem, but really, would that fix the lack of grounding in the other outlets?
It did! Which is truly strange, seeing as it was on another circuit. Not only that, but our bedroom outlets were on the same circuit as outlets in other rooms, and all of those had functional grounds. Now our bedroom ones do, too. The computer is once again plugged into the old, old surge protector, and now the green light comes on. We're so glad that this problem was discovered--the lack of grounding in our bedroom outlets! And the credit for that goes to Krazyglue who immediately went to look for an online manual to learn about the surge protector.
Now we wonder, did we lose our phone and answering machine those many years ago because the ground in the outlet wasn't working? And why is that lone outlet in our room not on the same circuit as our other outlets, but instead shares a GFI (ground fault interrupter) with the bathroom, kitchen, and basement outlets? Very strange indeed! And how is it that the GFI has been working with that outlet being wired incorrectly? It's almost enough to make me want to study electrical wiring. Almost. Maybe I'll get Krazyglue another manual for Christmas.
The latest, or should I say "la test" began with my asking if the old (and I mean really old) surge protector that I found in the basement and used for my computer in our bedroom was still good, and how would we know. Krazyglue said he'd check it out. His first discovery: that the surge protector has a red and a green light, but only the red one was lit. So he looks for a brand name in order to research it online. I call out that it's probably by a company that no longer exists. Don't know why I was so pessimistic. He found the site and quickly found the explanation for the lights. If the green one doesn't light up, then that outlet has no functional ground and the surge protector is rendered useless.
Next, Krazyglue checks on the other outlets in the bedroom, and guess what? None of them seems to have a working ground. Yikes! A nearby lightning strike about 6 or 7 years ago fried the phone and answering machine that was in our bedroom. Was the damage from that strike? So being the systematic guy he is, Krazyglue begins checking out most of the rest of the outlets in the house. Green light comes on for all. All except those in our room.
Now we have a most peculiar design in our bedrooms. All the rooms come with a light switch by the door, but there are no overhead lights. Instead, the light switch operates the upper plug of the outlet nearest to the wall switch. Not the outlet across the room, so that you could plug a light in across the way and not have to stumble at night to turn it on. Noooo. No, the clods who did the electrical on our house put those little wall switches in I guess to save us from reaching 6 inches further to turn on a lamp plugged in adjacent to the wall switch.
Krazyglue decides to look first at the outlet where we had plugged in our zapped answering machine. It looked normal. Next he took out the wall switch that operates the upper half of that outlet. It did not have any neutral or ground, but he later determined that that was normal. He consulted a handyman friend who gave him some other things to check, as well as with his dad, an electrical engineer, who told him to look for an outlet that was wired in reverse. He pulled out more outlets in the bedroom. They were all fine. It was then that he noticed that the small dorm room fridge we have to keep insulin in was running. Wait a minute! All the outlets were supposedly on the same circuit! So he finds the breaker for that outlet, turns it off, and pulls that outlet out. Bingo! It was wired wrong. He corrected the problem, but really, would that fix the lack of grounding in the other outlets?
It did! Which is truly strange, seeing as it was on another circuit. Not only that, but our bedroom outlets were on the same circuit as outlets in other rooms, and all of those had functional grounds. Now our bedroom ones do, too. The computer is once again plugged into the old, old surge protector, and now the green light comes on. We're so glad that this problem was discovered--the lack of grounding in our bedroom outlets! And the credit for that goes to Krazyglue who immediately went to look for an online manual to learn about the surge protector.
Now we wonder, did we lose our phone and answering machine those many years ago because the ground in the outlet wasn't working? And why is that lone outlet in our room not on the same circuit as our other outlets, but instead shares a GFI (ground fault interrupter) with the bathroom, kitchen, and basement outlets? Very strange indeed! And how is it that the GFI has been working with that outlet being wired incorrectly? It's almost enough to make me want to study electrical wiring. Almost. Maybe I'll get Krazyglue another manual for Christmas.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
The Humble Moms Club
I've been telling Krazyglue that I'm tired. Beyond tired, really. First it was a week of testing for two of my kids that necessitated daily trips downtown. Then we went to the Midwest Fleadh in Detroit, where sessions last all night and into the morning. I was so looking forward to getting rest when Stand-up's diabetes showed its ugly side with high blood sugars and "No Delivery" pump alarms in the middle of the night, not once, but twice in one week! So is it any wonder...
That I found myself at the Vigil Mass last Saturday wearing these: mismatched shoes. I only noticed shortly after getting into the pew. After having walked in late, during the first reading. Into a church shaped in a semi-circle. Ahem. I immediately stuck one foot partially under the kneeler in hopes no one would notice my gaffe. I actually considered -- for a fleeting moment -- not going to Communion, so as to avoid my mis-clad feet being seen.
The worst part was when I pointed out my shoes to my dd, Little Miss whispered, "You did that yesterday [at morning Mass], too. That's why I was giving you that look." The eyebrows raised, grimacing, "What. Is. Up. With. You???" look. I don't know which was worse, that I was in a church with 1500 people with mis-matched shoes on, or that I'd been at Mass the day before, with only 100 or so, but that I'd socialized after Mass, including stopping off in the sacristy. And that I'd never ever noticed my faux pas!
It was humbling to say the least. I think I know how I did it, that is, how I put the wrong shoes on in the first place. But I'm not going to explain. I'm just going accept my place in the Humble Moms Club.
Did I tell you I was tired?
That I found myself at the Vigil Mass last Saturday wearing these: mismatched shoes. I only noticed shortly after getting into the pew. After having walked in late, during the first reading. Into a church shaped in a semi-circle. Ahem. I immediately stuck one foot partially under the kneeler in hopes no one would notice my gaffe. I actually considered -- for a fleeting moment -- not going to Communion, so as to avoid my mis-clad feet being seen.
The worst part was when I pointed out my shoes to my dd, Little Miss whispered, "You did that yesterday [at morning Mass], too. That's why I was giving you that look." The eyebrows raised, grimacing, "What. Is. Up. With. You???" look. I don't know which was worse, that I was in a church with 1500 people with mis-matched shoes on, or that I'd been at Mass the day before, with only 100 or so, but that I'd socialized after Mass, including stopping off in the sacristy. And that I'd never ever noticed my faux pas!
It was humbling to say the least. I think I know how I did it, that is, how I put the wrong shoes on in the first place. But I'm not going to explain. I'm just going accept my place in the Humble Moms Club.
Did I tell you I was tired?
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Divine Mercy Sunday
I haven't posted in a very long time. Not for lack of desire, but for lack of time. And I know, if blogging were important enough, I'd do it, but it is something that I can let slide without serious consequences. So slide it does when the day-to-day stuff, like broken hands, the 10 day flu, or car accidents happen. That sums up my winter quite nicely.
Oh, and then I joined Facebook. It's addicting. The best thing about Facebook is reconnecting with old friends, or connecting for the first time with my brothers- and sisters-in-law. But it is definitely a time-eater.
In this Easter Season we hear Mass readings from the book of Acts. Acts. Once Jesus died, the apostles were ready to go back to their old lives, but Jesus called them to leave it all behind and to continue His work. To act; to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth. During Lent we're focused on prayers and acts of penance and charity. Then comes the Easter celebration, and whew! Lent is OVER, and the temptation is to get back to life as we knew it.
But then we have Saint Faustina relaying Jesus' request that we continue with His work. And we are given this gift from Pope John Paul II officially declaring the Sunday after Easter Divine Mercy Sunday. With the Church's blessing, more and more parishes are encouraging the devotion, reminding us to begin the Novena prayers on Good Friday. It's pretty easy to pray that day. But on each day of the Easter Octave there are new petitions to present to God along with praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. So we can't go back to life as it was before Lent.
In fact, the Easter Season lasts 50 days. I like to think of it as practice time for the new life in Christ we received at Easter. Hopefully by the time Ordinary Time returns, our lives won't be the same!
Oh, and then I joined Facebook. It's addicting. The best thing about Facebook is reconnecting with old friends, or connecting for the first time with my brothers- and sisters-in-law. But it is definitely a time-eater.
In this Easter Season we hear Mass readings from the book of Acts. Acts. Once Jesus died, the apostles were ready to go back to their old lives, but Jesus called them to leave it all behind and to continue His work. To act; to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth. During Lent we're focused on prayers and acts of penance and charity. Then comes the Easter celebration, and whew! Lent is OVER, and the temptation is to get back to life as we knew it.
But then we have Saint Faustina relaying Jesus' request that we continue with His work. And we are given this gift from Pope John Paul II officially declaring the Sunday after Easter Divine Mercy Sunday. With the Church's blessing, more and more parishes are encouraging the devotion, reminding us to begin the Novena prayers on Good Friday. It's pretty easy to pray that day. But on each day of the Easter Octave there are new petitions to present to God along with praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. So we can't go back to life as it was before Lent.
In fact, the Easter Season lasts 50 days. I like to think of it as practice time for the new life in Christ we received at Easter. Hopefully by the time Ordinary Time returns, our lives won't be the same!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
What is Education?
Michele Quigley asks this question over at The Family-Centered Life.
Somewhere on a piece of notebook paper from our pre-computer days, I have a one page essay on my philosophy of education. Would that I could lay my fingers on it now! But I do remember some of it, a piece of it, and that piece hasn't changed over the years. However, I'll talk about that in a bit.
My Oxford Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus gives "enlighten" as one of several synonyms for the word, "educate," and I like that. For to me, education is about more than teaching or instruction. For what is my aim in home education? That my children know, love, and serve God in this life and are forever happy with Him in the next. The Oxford also says that the prefix "en" means to "'bring into the condition of'". So at the heart of it for our family, education is bringing my children into the Light of Christ.
Probably few reading this would disagree with that. But what does that goal mean, practically-speaking? It is the guiding force in all decisions. It means that I believe that character is more important than academic achievement. As I've said for years, especially to newbies, St. Peter won't be checking for degrees at those pearly gates! What will matter, is what kind of people my children become; whether they have accepted God's love and learned to love God and others. I believe that in my heart of hearts, and it has freed me from so much worry over academics!
Now, I've had someone quip back to me that maybe my kids aren't so academically inclined, but that her kids were college-bound. Freedom from anxiety about academics doesn't infer indifference to it. With my goal to know, love, and serve God, it is imperative that my children receive solid instruction. God made this world and the people in it, and when we study it, its history, its scientific principles,when we study those whom God made in His Image and Likeness, we are getting to know a bit (and sometimes a great deal!) about our wondrous Creator. So we've never been lightweights on academics. A very wise priest on retreat once said "caught, not taught" in reference to kids' education. My 31 years of mothering has shown the veracity of his view. "Caught, not taught" means that my deepest convictions communicate with the greatest power. So I think it matters tremendously that I "know that I know " that what is most important is allowing God to love us and to love Him in return.
Of course, I'm still on the journey myself, and so I've been evolving in how I live this philosophy. Only a week ago I went on a mothers' retreat and I took away from that blessed time the realization that I need to show Christ to my children through my words and actions. Oh, I've known for years that I ought to see Christ in my children, and that was mentioned as well on the retreat. But I had an "Aha!" moment of seeing that another guiding principle in this homeschool adventure was to be Christ to my children. Or, to put it in the vernacular, WWJD? (And here's where I insert the disclaimer that I'm a sinner and I fall short all too often of doing what I imagine Our Savior would do!)
However, I see that in picking out programs, or books, or methodologies that make ideas and concepts more accessible to an individual child, I am reaching out to him or her, appreciating those qualities that make that child unique. Which brings me to what I recall from that education essay of long ago: I wrote that the best teacher meets a student where he's at, in order to lead him to where he needs to be. My model at the time (as now) was Jesus, Who, I noted, didn't tell people, "Come see Me when you're perfect" but rather, met people where they were at, dined with the sinners, and invited them into relationship. So, too, I recognized the power of relationship in reaching students. Picking the best means to help a child learn, tailoring the curriculum to him, is a means of saying, "I'm here with you, just where you are, and together we'll travel." Contrast that with exasperation that a child isn't able to solve problems or master concepts according the scope and sequence for his grade level or age!
My view of what education is, then, is to enlighten, to show God's Truth and Love. And I think this involves seeing the truth of where my kids are at, of reaching out to them at that place they each happen to be, in order to assist them in their journey. A third component of education in our home is developing a love of learning. There are things that my kids must learn in order that they be able to function in life. These might need to be mastered with a spirit of obedience. But another goal of working with my children as individuals is maintaining their natural love of learning, and again, "caught, not taught" plays a huge role. My husband and I both love learning and treasure books, and our home reflects that, with overflowing bookcases in nearly every room. We've been blessed to find many at bargain prices, but we've also sacrificed in order to make purchases. We love being outdoors and contemplating nature. We've never been particularly concerned with the mess that ensues when nature is brought indoors. And because creativity doesn't always flourish "on a schedule" I've made a point to have art supplies easily available to the kids to use whenever. For example, our construction paper is separated by color into paper trays that sit out in the open with scissors and glue and other paraphernalia in nearby drawers. Giving the kids time is essential. Time to think, to observe, to create. All these things make for a learning-friendly environment, which, in turn, nourish a love of learning.
I embarked on this adventure 15 years ago with the encouragement of friends who championed homeschooling as the best means to raise their children in the Faith and to give them a quality education. I had two children in public school at the time, so I knew some of the short-comings of the system. Having been educated as a nurse with my B.S.N., I had already had a paradigm shift in deciding to home birth after my first two were born at hospitals. My research into home birthing was a prelude to my study of home education. It prepared me to take responsibility for my children, as opposed to deferring to the "experts." I've never looked back, as this is definitely how my husband and I feel called to raise our family. What I've learned a long the way is how very much I enjoy being with my children! I marvel at what they think of and delight in their observations. We are eclectic homeschoolers, with not a little spirit of unschooling. It works for us.
Somewhere on a piece of notebook paper from our pre-computer days, I have a one page essay on my philosophy of education. Would that I could lay my fingers on it now! But I do remember some of it, a piece of it, and that piece hasn't changed over the years. However, I'll talk about that in a bit.
My Oxford Desk Dictionary and Thesaurus gives "enlighten" as one of several synonyms for the word, "educate," and I like that. For to me, education is about more than teaching or instruction. For what is my aim in home education? That my children know, love, and serve God in this life and are forever happy with Him in the next. The Oxford also says that the prefix "en" means to "'bring into the condition of'". So at the heart of it for our family, education is bringing my children into the Light of Christ.
Probably few reading this would disagree with that. But what does that goal mean, practically-speaking? It is the guiding force in all decisions. It means that I believe that character is more important than academic achievement. As I've said for years, especially to newbies, St. Peter won't be checking for degrees at those pearly gates! What will matter, is what kind of people my children become; whether they have accepted God's love and learned to love God and others. I believe that in my heart of hearts, and it has freed me from so much worry over academics!
Now, I've had someone quip back to me that maybe my kids aren't so academically inclined, but that her kids were college-bound. Freedom from anxiety about academics doesn't infer indifference to it. With my goal to know, love, and serve God, it is imperative that my children receive solid instruction. God made this world and the people in it, and when we study it, its history, its scientific principles,when we study those whom God made in His Image and Likeness, we are getting to know a bit (and sometimes a great deal!) about our wondrous Creator. So we've never been lightweights on academics. A very wise priest on retreat once said "caught, not taught" in reference to kids' education. My 31 years of mothering has shown the veracity of his view. "Caught, not taught" means that my deepest convictions communicate with the greatest power. So I think it matters tremendously that I "know that I know " that what is most important is allowing God to love us and to love Him in return.
Of course, I'm still on the journey myself, and so I've been evolving in how I live this philosophy. Only a week ago I went on a mothers' retreat and I took away from that blessed time the realization that I need to show Christ to my children through my words and actions. Oh, I've known for years that I ought to see Christ in my children, and that was mentioned as well on the retreat. But I had an "Aha!" moment of seeing that another guiding principle in this homeschool adventure was to be Christ to my children. Or, to put it in the vernacular, WWJD? (And here's where I insert the disclaimer that I'm a sinner and I fall short all too often of doing what I imagine Our Savior would do!)
However, I see that in picking out programs, or books, or methodologies that make ideas and concepts more accessible to an individual child, I am reaching out to him or her, appreciating those qualities that make that child unique. Which brings me to what I recall from that education essay of long ago: I wrote that the best teacher meets a student where he's at, in order to lead him to where he needs to be. My model at the time (as now) was Jesus, Who, I noted, didn't tell people, "Come see Me when you're perfect" but rather, met people where they were at, dined with the sinners, and invited them into relationship. So, too, I recognized the power of relationship in reaching students. Picking the best means to help a child learn, tailoring the curriculum to him, is a means of saying, "I'm here with you, just where you are, and together we'll travel." Contrast that with exasperation that a child isn't able to solve problems or master concepts according the scope and sequence for his grade level or age!
My view of what education is, then, is to enlighten, to show God's Truth and Love. And I think this involves seeing the truth of where my kids are at, of reaching out to them at that place they each happen to be, in order to assist them in their journey. A third component of education in our home is developing a love of learning. There are things that my kids must learn in order that they be able to function in life. These might need to be mastered with a spirit of obedience. But another goal of working with my children as individuals is maintaining their natural love of learning, and again, "caught, not taught" plays a huge role. My husband and I both love learning and treasure books, and our home reflects that, with overflowing bookcases in nearly every room. We've been blessed to find many at bargain prices, but we've also sacrificed in order to make purchases. We love being outdoors and contemplating nature. We've never been particularly concerned with the mess that ensues when nature is brought indoors. And because creativity doesn't always flourish "on a schedule" I've made a point to have art supplies easily available to the kids to use whenever. For example, our construction paper is separated by color into paper trays that sit out in the open with scissors and glue and other paraphernalia in nearby drawers. Giving the kids time is essential. Time to think, to observe, to create. All these things make for a learning-friendly environment, which, in turn, nourish a love of learning.
I embarked on this adventure 15 years ago with the encouragement of friends who championed homeschooling as the best means to raise their children in the Faith and to give them a quality education. I had two children in public school at the time, so I knew some of the short-comings of the system. Having been educated as a nurse with my B.S.N., I had already had a paradigm shift in deciding to home birth after my first two were born at hospitals. My research into home birthing was a prelude to my study of home education. It prepared me to take responsibility for my children, as opposed to deferring to the "experts." I've never looked back, as this is definitely how my husband and I feel called to raise our family. What I've learned a long the way is how very much I enjoy being with my children! I marvel at what they think of and delight in their observations. We are eclectic homeschoolers, with not a little spirit of unschooling. It works for us.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Pre-1985 Books Banned!
This refers to books for children age 12 and under. See a good synopsis here of this idiocy by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Merry Christmas!
Wow, I didn't realize that I hadn't wished you all a merry and blessed Christmas! Well, it is still Christmas, for which I'm very grateful. I love that our Church gives us not just a day, but a season for our celebration. It will come to a close with the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, which this year falls on January 11th. Our parish will keep its decorations up until the 12th, as will we. It truly is a gift to be able to feast -- both spiritually and temporally -- for all these days!
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