Children Learn What They Live

As I was growing up I frequently saw this poem around and thought it was nice, but unimpressed to say the least.
My mom just posted it on her blog and I've read it again for the millionth time in my life and suddenly it has taken on a whole new meaning! For the past year or two I've heard so much that if I want to see myself just look at my children...
LORD HAVE MERCY!!!!

Children learn what they live

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.
If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.
If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.
Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph.D.

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

"Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Ephesians 4:32

Calling All Home-Schoolers and Avid Readers...

As a homeschooling mother Paidea Classics is one of my FAVORITE websites!!! They are by far one of the most important resources I have to date.
I just learned this morning that they are struggling financially and it is threatening the continuance of their website.
I come here to spread the word about the TREMENDOUS RESOURCE so you too may help support them and to also beg for prayers on their behalf.
Here is a list of 10 reasons they are SO fabulous:

1. "Our Young Folks' Josephus": The history of Ancient Israel is revealed in a first-hand account from the great historian Flavius Josephus.

2. "The Exiles of the Cebenna": is a moving account of the community of Christians in the Church of Arles during the Decian persecution (249-251 AD).

3. Free Copywork you can print out. Amazing and wonderful copy work of Saints, Feasts and Orthodox Quotes, as well as simple beginning ABC's.

4. If you don't want to print everything yourself they have spiral bound copywork for sale!!!!

5. New Spelling Lessons: 2 levels so far!

6. Free downloadable Orthodox homeschool planning pages.

7. Orthodox Homeschool T-shirts and more.

8. Free E-Texts

9. A list of wonderful articles about all kinds of topics such as prayers, parenting, schooling.

10. Their wonderful history books soon to come out in audio!!" It is our hope to provide resources that will help make homeschooling a family affair and will simplify the teaching parent's life." Coming soon!

PLEASE help support this wonderful home-schooling resource! They have a lot of books that not only would be appreciated by the home-schooling family but also by those who love to read history.

Thank you for spreading the word.

James of the Northwest has just posted about this news article we've read. I commented there but couldn't help but bring it up here and tell you that I've emailed Gregoire.

Please go here and send her a comment. Tell her how absurd it is for her to TAKE AWAY ones RIGHTS to appease another. I'm so miffed about this whole thing. And not so much because of what pill it is(although I'm impressed with Thriftway and will let them know I'll be supporting their stores more than I have) but more because the pharmacies own rights are being taken away and how fair is that. She wants to strip them of their own rights simply because another group feels their rights aren't being respected.

I didn't know something so political could get my attention like this...I'm surprised at myself.

Another writer?

Okay while I'm at it I'll share Charissa's poem to dad. Kelsey taught Charissa a little about poems. She wrote one to her teacher which stupidly I didn't keep, it's quite good! And this she wrote for her dad, it's cute!

Happy Father's Day, Dad.

I found out that it was Father's Day.
It is a penny to pay.

I think he is planning to go to Antartica again.


She has a fascination with Antartica because they just studied penguins in school.

A writer in the making...

Kelsey Anna seems to be taking after her father in writing. She LOVES to write. We have gads of papers with started stories, poems and even comics. She even has a book started on her laptop that I'm told is very funny. This spring she brought home a book of poems from school she had written. They learned all about different kinds of poems. I found this one amongst her papers which wasn't even one of the chose published, but I really do like it a lot.

Fairies
Shhhhh!
Listen. Fairies!
Why fairies you say?
Because the sound it makes.
A certain sound like...
A wind chime
Ching Chingle Ching
A bird
Tweet tweetle tweet
A fairy sound
Ding ding ding ding
So if you walk in the woods listen for them.
Those fairies.

by Kelsey Anna

This tops the cake!

Okay....I am udderly flabbergasted at the newest and latest "disorder" that one can order up to justify and explain away ones uncomely behavior. This literally is the icing on the cake....
intermittent explosive disorder (IED)
in laymens terms "road rage disorder".
Check out these headlines...Road rage is a medical condition, finds study

"local" economy

I've been suffering through the debate/conversation between my dear paradosis and some of his friends (they are really "our" friends but in this their his--LOL) on the topic of "local economy. One of them says that there really is no such thing as local economy and the other disagrees. I do have to admit to possibly misunderstanding the whole debate but that is what I got out of it. So I as this is really the only place I can get a word in edgewise when the conversation is being carried with this particular group I thought I'd post my two cents. First I might say that I really believe that they are simply debating the difference between micro(local) and macro(global) economics without even knowing it. And if you put it that way they are both right and their it's a no win debate for sure.
But my two cents on the whole "does local economy even exist" is this...if we all stopped buying from the local businesses then they will cease to exist therefore creating a completely useless community and it will die. Thus there IS local economy in that respect. YES, our community not only supports on a local level but also in many ways supports on a global level. You cannot have one without the other for sure. The global economy would cease to exist if there was not many different local economies to make it up.
I just happen to read on the night of this said debate from a great book called "Rural Renaissance" in the section called Supporting the Local Economy...
Ecological communities offer insights as to how we might approach our local community. When we take time to examine our energy flows, the cycling of matter and materials, the interconnection of food webs, the movement from chemical-based mono-culture to organic polyculture, and other factors on our farm, we better undertstand how life manages to sustain itself--often, despite unwise human decisions.
Communities that exist within ecological perspectives, tend to thrive as well, providing healthy, safe and viable livelihoods for their members. Country and samll-town living thrives on shared experience and cooperation.
In an ecosystem, numerous self-preserving mechanisms are in place to keep a system in balance. Healthy communities are much the same. The citizens must be active, engaged and empowered for the community to be vibrant. We are active participants in our community's continued prosperity, development and future.

Yes, I know that maybe I'm making this topic much simplier than they possibly have taken it in their conversations and debates, but why not?

"Potatoes Not Prozac"

But do you sometimes feel your confidence slip away, leaving you in self-doubt and despair? Does it seem "crazy" that you can be so clear one day and so desperate the next? Worse, you may drop from the heights to the depths in the same day. It's almost as if another person were inside you.
You hate to admit it, but you can be moody and impulsive. You want to get things done, but your attention drifts. You lose energy and get tired.

....It's like having two different people live in your body. From one moment to the next your fine sensitivity and openness turn into moodiness and irritablility. Your confidence and creativity dry up, only to be replaced by low self-esteem and hopelessness. Your visions for the future dissipate into the frustration born of not following through.

*bold is my emphasis


I'm only in the first chapter of this ("Potatoes Not Prozac")book, but I feel like it was written for me. Found it after reading "Little Sugar Addicts". This author, Kathleen DesMaisons, seems to really have done some incredible research. I can't wait to read more.

Memory Eternal

Today is the 2nd anniversary of the repose of my brother, Douglas.
My niece Alexis, his daughter, has been here at my home for 3 weeks visiting from Minnesota. I told her that we Orthodox have a very special way of remembering the departed and I wanted to share that with her. So this evening, I did my best to make Koliva with Alexis. We did have to improvise because I FORGOT to buy wheat berries in time to cook. So I used whole oat groats which cook up to be quite fat and chewy. I rinsed them well after cooking and added the rest of the ingredients. Mounded it all on a plate and covered it with powered sugar. I was very pleasantly surprised to taste what could really pass as Koliva! And Alexis will never know the difference.
We gathered around the icon corner and said a prayer and sang memory eternal. It was really quite beautiful. No, Douglas wasn't Orthodox but I really wanted share this beautiful tradition with his beautiful daughter. And really I don't even know if there is something that says this is only for the orthodox.

Memory Eternal!


PS.. the picture was taken AFTER we'd eaten most of it and realized Alexis hadn't taken a picture. So we hurried and mounded what we could and added more powered sugar to take the picture. The first mound was much bigger and nicer looking.

Accomplishments

Over the last 2 days I've accomplished two things that I'm proud of.
One is I JUST finished this evening and that is the kitchen floor!!! I really like how it came out.
The second I did on Saturday, which was to cut the hair on my two boys' heads. It was quite the challenge with Joe, thus quite an accomplishment! But Oh! how handsome they are!!!

SHE MADE MY DAY!

I was checking out at the grocery store and bought some beer for James. The checker looked at me a few times before deciding to card me. I always love it when this happens as I'm well past the age one needs to be (by 15 years!).
She takes my ID from me and looks at it, all of a sudden very emphatically she says, "Shut up! Oh my gosh!" "You must have good genes or something."

Grinning from ear to ear!

Pictures to share

Go here to see several pictures I've taken over the last couple days.
On Mother's Day we went to the peninsula to visit family and friends and went here. It was an amazing day!
Today we went here.
My niece, Alexis, is visiting from MN for 3 weeks. We are having a grand time.

Happy Mother's Day to me

I recieved this poem(using my name for first letters) yesterday from Kelsey Anna. (My eldest, 9 1/2 years)

Spectacular mom!
Uses love carefully!
Said she loves me!
Always hugs me!
Noticed I loved her!
Loved by your daughter Kelsey

Update on my dad

Thank you all so much for all your prayers and thank you Hilarius for asking about him on Paradosis.


I can't believe it has been since BEFORE his radiation that I've posted. My how time flies!

My dad went through 8 weeks of pure hell in radiation therapy on his throat. Through it he lost a significant amount of weight which he couldn't afford to lose and he also lost his voice. Today, he is back up to 145# (4 weeks post radiation I think) and is sounding great. Glory to God when they examined his throat they found no cancer left. Kelsey Anna and I attribute this to some Holy Oil we sent him to rub on his neck. We pray every day that God will soften his heart so that he too may believe this. He still struggles a great deal with smoking although he is only smoking a couple a day vs. 3 packs a day. Shortly after he finished his radiation he opened up to me about how much he'd been drinking and learned that alcohol in great quantities daily can be a big contributor to throat cancer. Glory to God he has not had a drink since February and finds no desire for it.
Please pray for his struggles with addiction and for the temptations for alcohol that may return as he goes back to MN for the summer and much of his family and friends there do quite a bit of drinking.

Thank you so much for your prayers!!!

This is an old picture of my dad and my kids, June 2004, but I wanted to put it in anyway.

Bye Grandma :(

Today at 3:30 PM we packed up the van with all of Grandma and Auntie Carols belongings and headed for the train depot. As they unloaded the van Joseph began wailing that he wanted grandma, he was going to go with her. As he was strapped in his carseat reaching as hard as he could (if you've ever seen a child strapped in a carseat trying to reach with all his might to get out you can see Joseph), tears streaming down and wails of love for Grandma. Mom stood there watching him with tears of her own as she was not prepared for such an outpouring. Once we drove away and she was out of sight he settled down and about 5 minutes down the road very quietly said, "I'm going to miss grandma." Look at the eyes this boy has, they can be heart-wrenching.
For some reason, this time around it was very difficult for mom to leave. Please come back soon Grandma!!!

More Remodeling

During Bright Week my mom and I spent many hours changing my kitchen. After lots of shopping around I decided I'd give it a gallon of paint and new hardware a try on the kitchen cupboards instead of spending hundreds(or even thousands) for new. The biggest difference is the new feeling of space and light. I love it! The floor is next.

Now I lay me down to sleep...2

Back in November I posted this on the photo blog.

Since so many liked that I just had to share this with you all. I love it!! This is how I found little Joe tonight.

Christ is Risen!!!

Let us therefore celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord. He rose, and He brought up with Him the world. He rose, breaking the bonds of death, resurrecting us by breaking the chains of our sins. Adam sinned and died. Christ died but did not sin. This is new and strange. The first sinned and died, the second died having not sinned. For whom did this happen and why? So that he who had sinned and died be liberated from the bonds of death through Him Who died having not sinned. This also happens with those who owe money. Someone is in debt but is unable to repay his debt and therefore is put in prison. Someone else who does not owe the money but is able to pay repays the debt and the debtor is released. This same things happened with Adam and Christ.

St. John Chrysostom, A Homily on the Holy Pascha

More pics here.

Remodel

Last summer we started dividing our big garage conversion(previous to our buying) into several smaller rooms. The first picture here shows the walls just going up. The second picture skeleton of the spare room my mom is sleeping in now. Another wonderful feature that we did was to build some bookshelves into the wall. These are pretty much finished but need trim and stain. The last pictures are the finished product. I'm so proud of the end result (maybe too proud) I just had to show off the pictures. You can see the door opening in the first couple of pictures and the finished door. It is VERY exciting. What a sense of accomplishment! Thank you sweetie, for all your hard work!

Grandma's Here!

My mom and auntie Carol arrived on the train today! My kids really miss grandma when she is not here.