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June 30, 2005
You say "inclusive," I say "but no."
Chris links to a St. Petersburg Times article on the LIFE vs. Homeschool World flap. If you don't follow homeschooling news and haven't heard about this, here's the scoop: LIFE, Inc., a homeschool support group, had an ad on Homeschool World's website. However, LIFE, Inc. describes itself as an organization that "welcomes all educators regardless of religion, race, teaching style, politics, marital status, age or sexual orientation."
Ted Pride, the webmaster, says this language is too overt for their website, and explains that "not discriminating on sexual orientation basically means discriminating against most major religions, since the two are mutually exclusive."
That's nice, isn't it? That ties everything into one nice, neat package: you can discriminate against gays, or you can discriminate against most major religions. Take your pick! Anti-gay, or anti-God?
But in all honesty, I don't care who is and who is not allowed to advertise at the website. What frightens me most is Mary Pride's attitude toward the issue altogether:
Mary Pride is president of Homeschool World, which publishes Practical Homeschooling magazine. She also is the author of Mary Pride's Complete Guide to Getting Started in Homeschooling, a leading homeschool text. She called the flap with LIFE a "nonstory.""What we're looking at here," she said, "is Christian bashing."
Oh, yes, that's exactly what it is. Bashing. Christian bashing. You poor thing.
Pride said that if she had been in communication with Willingham, she would have questioned only whether LIFE is a true homeschool support group because the statewide organization promotes homeschooling as one of several educational options. She likened LIFE's inclusive statement to a "manifesto."
Yup. First silence the argument by claiming religious persecution, and then question their legitimacy. Finish up by accusing them of having a "manifesto," by which folks usually seem to mean "an agenda to undermine the morals of the righteous."
Pride finishes off with this winner: "'Inclusive' is a good enough word without going into what they include,' she said."
So in the end, her problem was really that they spelled out what they are inclusive of? Yes, by all means, be inclusive. Just don't say that you're inclusive of them out loud, okay? That way we can all pretend that "inclusive" means excluding whomever we want to exclude.
The good news is that you can go here to find a fast-growing list of honestly inclusive homeschool support groups. When I first looked at this list three days ago, Texas wasn't there. I wasn't surprised. There's a Texas listing now, though.
Posted by lynx at 8:54 AM | Comments (11) | TrackBack
June 28, 2005
Whew
The older kids have begged for a break today.
What a weekend we had! We visited the new Texas Dinosaur exhibit at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History; we saw Al Bean; and we met, for the first time, friends I've known online for eight years. Diane and her family are wonderful. We had a party, and we had a blast! There were six adults and 12 kids at my house, and no one left until 2 am. You couldn't walk in the living room without risking injury to a sleeping child. The kids all got along well.
I wish we could do it again, but they live too far away. Sniff.
Yesterday was art class day, which takes up the whole day.
So today my kids are tired. They asked if we could stay home today, and do nothing.
They're already bored. Silly children. They've spent the past three days with other kids, and have to re-orient themselves to playing "alone."
Posted by lynx at 10:58 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
June 27, 2005
Look Mommy, an Astronaut!
Hmmm. Those of you who knew Alan Bean's profession, but not the "numbers," pass. The vast majority of people don't even know his profession. His numbers are 12 and 4.
Al Bean was the fourth man to walk on the Moon, as part of the Apollo 12 mission. Poor guy. That's what you get for being fourth, I guess. No one remembers your name!
Yes, we're astronaut geeks. Space geeks.
In the comments, e said that her husband went on and on about why Cpt. Bean was "the coolest" and his favorite. Well, I didn't end up getting to meet him, but I was impressed with the man from afar. "From the Earth to the Moon" (which I cannot recommend highly enough) portrays him as a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, always going with the flow; absolutely professional and hard working, but always happy about whatever he was doing. It seems the actor did a pretty good job at capturing the man. He grinned the entire time! He looked absolutely thrilled to be where he was! He was brimming with infectious enthusiasm. And when I walked by the line of autograph seekers an hour later, he was still grinning.
I only heard the first half of his talk, before the three year old needed to go. He talked about the shuttle losses, and about how losses happen when you explore. He talked about how the astronauts accept the risks they take, and about how the rest of us should also accept the losses and move on.
We don't hear this kind of message often enough! We have, instead, taken the idea that life is precious to some ridiculous lengths. Yes, life is precious. On the other hand, in order to do great things, you have to be willing to face great risks. Sometimes you have to be willing to die. Great things do not come out of overcaution. They come out of taking risks and pushing through boundaries. If we instead say that life is too precious to risk even in a great endeavor, and focus on keeping everyone safe, well ... what's the point? Humanity is not meant to be one giant, safe, couch potato.
I grew up wanting to be an astronaut. It was my most precious dream. Somewhere in there, though, I got scared. I didn't have the guts. I am eternally thankful for the ones who did, and do. I hope I can teach my sons to take the risks that are worth taking.
Bill Whittle says this kind of thing better, as he always does. If you haven't before, pop on over and read his essay on astronauts and courage.
So yes, e, Tim is right. Al Bean was cool. I'd love to get to talk with him one day ... some time when I don't have small children who are averse to standing in long lines, and who are not nearly as impressed with the astronaut as Mommy ;-)
I don't have pictures uploaded yet, but Jeff does.
Posted by lynx at 9:33 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 24, 2005
This is a Test
On Saturday, we're going to see Alan Bean at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History.
Without exception, everyone I've told this to, except for Jeff, has responded "Who's that?"
Off the top of your head - no sneaky using Google - do you know who Alan Bean is?
Posted by lynx at 11:11 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Humor of the Morning
I did laugh out loud this morning, and it's all Natalie's fault. She linked to Manolo's Shoe Blog, which is full of snarky potshots at celebrities: perfect for my mood this morning. Manolo linked to these ... interesting shoes. He also linked to a Wikipedia article about Xenu, and as I've never read up on Scientology, I ... well, I giggled madly through the whole thing.
Posted by lynx at 9:18 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Ahhh
Yes, $500 and some unpleasant words to my home warranty company later, the air conditioner is fixed.
We first called our HW folks on Monday. They made it out to our house on Wednesday afternoon, changed a wire, told me it was fixed, and left. An hour later it was clear that the unit was not working, and we called them back. They couldn't manage to get the technician back out here until maybe Friday afternoon.
You've got to be joking.
I opened the phone book pretty much at random, picked a place, called them. They had a tech out in two hours.
I've been very happy with our home warranty folks so far. I can understand them taking 48 hours to get out here initially. But when the unit still didn't work, I think they should have had someone back out here immediately. Another 48 hours is ridiculous.
By the way, Hornblower, and all you other folks who summer in places not deemed hot enough for air conditioning, you have my awe and admiration. I'm just not cut out for the heat. Let's face it, I'd have been a terrible sailor. Heat? Crowded conditions? Weevils in the bread? Rigging to climb? Mmmm ... no.
I'm not a camper either, as you probably guessed.
I often remind my kids that the pioneer children didn't have TV, or computers. This week my son seemed to take great pleasure in reminding me that they didn't have air conditioning, either. Smarty pants.
But the air is back, and life is good.
Posted by lynx at 9:02 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
June 22, 2005
Unless ...
it's followed by the really crappy realization that it's not working, after all, and your house is still hotter than hell, and will be for another night and who knows how much longer tomorrow. Oh, and by the way, the other car is in the shop, so not only is it hotter than hell, but you're stuck there the whole freaking day.
I wish I knew what I did to tick off the universe.
Posted by lynx at 9:34 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
There is no sweeter sound ...
... than that of a working air conditioning unit.
Posted by lynx at 4:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 20, 2005
Happy Solstice!
No school today! It's Solstice! Today is all about the Sun.
Image courtesy of SOHO (ESA and NASA.)
Would you like to see what the Sun is up to today? You can find out at SpaceWeather.com.
And, unfortunately, today is really about the power of the Sun. Our air conditioner decided to die last night, and no one will fix it before tomorrow afternoon. Joy.
We've got a Sun piñata half finished. The plan was to make cupcakes and/or cookies today, but I'm not turning on the oven. We'll barbecue tonight, and watch the full moon rise.
The Summer Solstice and the full Moon. What a perfect combination! Life goes in cycles, and the Summer Solstice and the full Moon represent the same spot on the cycle: You shine when you're at the top ... but there's nowhere to go from there but down. It's not as depressing an idea as it sounds like, because we celebrate the oppostite in winter: when things are as dark as they can be, the light is already on its way. This is a good time to read Aesop's fable about the ant and the grasshopper. The ant works in the summer because he knows about the cycles of the earth, and he knows the warm weather and abundance of food will not last. The grasshopper doesn't figure it out until it's too late.
Now that we've got a fable for the day, here's the poem for the day:
The Summer Sun
by Robert Louis Stevenson
GREAT is the sun, and wide he goes
Through empty heaven without repose;
And in the blue and glowing days
More thick than rain he showers his rays.
Though closer still the blinds we pull
To keep the shady parlour cool,
Yet he will find a chink or two
To slip his golden fingers through.
Above the hills, along the blue,
Round the bright air with footing true,
To please the child, to paint the rose,
The gardener of the World, he goes.
Have fun, all. Maybe we'll go to the pool ...
Posted by lynx at 10:47 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
Ethnomathematics
Dad sent me a Wall Street Journal piece by Diane Ravitch, on "ethnomathematics." You have to be a subscriber to the Journal to read it, however, so I found a different Ravitch article on the same subject for your reading "pleasure." "Ethnomathematics" is the theory that minority children will learn math best if they are taught about their culture's mathematic progression and heritage. For instance, Hispanic children will learn math best if they are taught about the Mayan number system (but not, of course, any math tied to Spain).
Let me come right out and say it. I'm educating and raising my kids to be successful. I'm educating and raising them to be leaders. I'm educating them to have a full and satisfying life, doing whatever it is they want to do. And they'll be able to do this because they will have the knowledge and the tools to do whatever it is they want to do.
Kids who learn math according to their ethnicity will not. As Ravitch says:
Particularism is akin to cultural Lysenkoism, for it takes as its premise the spurious notion that cultural traits are inherited. It implies a dubious, dangerous form of cultural predestination. Children are taught that if their ancestors could do it, so could they. But what happens if a child is from a cultural group that made no significant contribution to science or mathematics? Must children find a culturally appropriate field in which to strive? How does a teacher find the right cultural buttons for children of mixed heritage? And how in the world will teachers use this technique when the children in their classes are drawn from many different cultures, as is usually the case? By the time that every culture gets its due, there may be no time left to teach the subject itself.
I've been called racist for embracing a classical education, and rejecting multiculturalism. What amazes me is that the proponents of ideas like ethnomathematics don't seem to realize how terribly racist they themselves are. Math is math. Numbers are numbers. Isn't it better to assume that a child of any race can learn mathematics well?
Posted by lynx at 9:12 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
A Little Levity
Go here. When the page loads, type in a search for "cannibalism." Trust me.
Posted by lynx at 12:50 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Father's Day
On Mother's Day, I like to go to brunch. That's it, really. I like brunch.
Jeff doesn't have any traditional Father's Day desires, so we usually just wing it. Let the record show, though, that I offered to take him to a baseball game.
I taught Connor how to make French toast for breakfast, and then the boys gave Jeff the book we made for him. I asked Jeff what he wanted to do for the day. He wanted to go to Fry's.
Okay. I've never been to Fry's. It's a computer store. I love Jeff, but ... it's a computer store. He's better off going without me, and I'm usually better off staying home. But today I went.
Have you been to a Fry's? That's not a computer store. I mean, yes, it had computers. It also had CDs, DVDs, telescopes, appliances, books, and a cafe serving good coffee and soda fountain drinks.
For Heaven's sakes. I'd have gone to Fry's every time if I'd known about all of that.
Amy asked that everyone list what they ate today. Eh, we had crock pot potroast and sweet potatoes. Nothing special. Nothing nearly as good as what Amy had.
And then the kids got to talk, via the magic of the internet and video cameras, to their Grandpa Steve. Grandpa Steve, my Dad, lives in Florida. The kids don't get to see my parents very often ... in fact it's been two years now. They get to see their other grandparents a couple of times a year and I'm glad of that; but I'm sorry they're growing up without knowing my parents. It's sad, and it's difficult to comprehend, even though I grew up far from my own grandparents and never really knew them. I only have an idea of the people they were.
But this is getting depressing. Let's take a jump to the left.
Do you know what was the most important thing my Dad ever said to me? When I was at the lowest point in my life, he told me I was strong, and I would get through it. And hey - it turns out that he was right! The funny thing is that I didn't know that I was strong until then; but I've known it every day since then.
That's what Dads are for.
Posted by lynx at 12:03 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 17, 2005
Ouch
Now that Jeff is home, I don't want to go to Curves any more. I'd rather spend the money on a place my whole family can go; plus, it's just not that good of a workout. It's okay, it's certainly better than nothing, but it's not great.
I haven't decided what other club to join yet, so for now I'm mostly exercising at home. A friend of mine bought the first few T-Tapp DVDs, and I've been trying them out this week. So far, it's just painful. I've been doing "Basic Workout #1" which is a paltry 15 minutes long. Fifteen minutes! Easy!
I did the 15 minute workout on Tuesday, and again on Wednesday, learning the routine.
On Thursday, I had to stop the DVD twice to get through the easy 15 minute workout.
That does not do wonders for one's self esteem.
I did the workout again today. I couldn't get through it today, either. I had to break halfway through and rest. This stuff looks easy, but it's really 15 minutes of torture.
My friend tells me that "Instructional Workout #2" is 40 minutes long.
That's just insane.
Folks, I am not in bad shape. Not at all. This workout just uses muscles I never knew I had. It had just better be worth it.
I suppose if I miss Curves, I can always make an Amy Grant/Disco mix tape to throw on in the background.
Posted by lynx at 8:22 AM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
June 16, 2005
APOD is 10 years old ...
Look at their picture commemorating their anniversary. I love it.
Posted by lynx at 9:51 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 14, 2005
This Morning
It's 11:39 am. I sneakily got the big boys up 15 minutes early this morning. They, in turn, woke the little ones up by 8:30 or so.
We did math, chanted Latin paradigms, reviewed Latin vocab. and learned new vocab. The big boys wrote letters to one of their friends, and colored a map identifiying territorial ownership of land in North America prior to 1803. I read to the little boys. I read to the big boys (The Garden of Eden, Theseus and the Minotaur, Philomel and Baucis, and a chapter out of "Little House in the Big Woods." I had Connor read aloud to me from a list of words containing a medial "th" sound; then he read to himself a chapter out of Marrin's "1812: The War Nobody Won."
Now they're all out playing in their new wading pool.
Not bad, eh?
Life is good.
I'm tired, though. I'm not getting up early enough to exercise in the mornings. Because I'm not getting to bed early enough at night. I was always a night owl; now I've changed enough that I can get up early, and even be a "morning person." Yet I still can't manage to get myself to bed at an earlier hour at night.
Tomorrow, I hope, we will get up EARLY and go berry-picking (blueberries and blackberries). We have to go early, because the heat index will easily be 90 by noon, and the berry farm is a good hour away, possibly more.
Posted by lynx at 11:39 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Library Frustration
I placed an interlibrary loan request for a DVD copy of the version of "Much Ado About Nothing" with Robert Lindsay and Cherie Lunghi. A couple of days ago the library called me to tell me it was in. We can't pick up ILLs at our local library; we have to go to a Ft. Worth library. Off I trekked with the kids, only to find out that the copy they had obtained for me was the Branagh version. Which I have. And which every library in the local system has.
Grr. Foiled again!
Posted by lynx at 7:55 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 13, 2005
Link for your Monday
Via L at Schola, here's a handy phrasebook for Americans traveling to the E.U. this summer.
Eh, I had more links, but I've lost them.
I can't gather up much enthusiasm for Mondays. On Mondays the boys have art class. They love art class. Their teacher is just wonderful. However, art class is an hour's drive away. It's a two-hour class. So I pack everyone into the car, drive for an hour, and then have to find something to do with the little ones for two hours, followed by an hour drive back home.
Not so much fun for Mom.
Of course, there's really nothing to do in the area where the class is held. It's all built out, but with nothing interesting or refreshing. We could go sit in a McDonald's or a Starbucks and consume. Whee.
That's one of the things I dislike about this area. You have to drive everywhere. It's a 30-minute drive to get anywhere except our local library and grocery store, an hour to the nearest museum or zoo. An hour to classes. Soon you're spending all your time in the car, and who wants to do that?
Posted by lynx at 7:31 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
June 11, 2005
You jest better larn to look good in big hats, Pard'ner!
I don't watch "The West Wing," but Krista posted this scene in the comments of Sarah's blog. As a Texan who is learning to speak (and write and read) Latin, I just had to pass it on.
C.J. Sir, this may be a good time to talk about your sense of humor.
BARTLET [looks at his schedule] I've got an intelligence briefing, a security briefing, and a 90-minute budget meeting all scheduled for the same 45 minutes. You sure this is a good time to talk about my sense of humor?
C.J. No.
BARTLET Me neither.
LEO What else?
C.J. It's just that it’s not the first time it's happened.
BARTLET I know.
TOBY She's talking about Texas, sir.
BARTLET I know.
C.J. U.S.A. Today asks you why you don't spend more time campaigning in Texas and you say it's 'cause you don't look good in funny hats.
SAM It was "big hats."
C.J. What difference does it make?
BARTLET It makes a difference.
C.J. The point is we got whomped in Texas.
JOSH We got whomped in Texas twice.
C.J. We got whomped in the primary, and we got whomped in November.
BARTLET I think I was there.
C.J. And it was avoidable, sir.
BARTLET C.J., on your tombstone, it's gonna read, "Post hoc, ergo propter hoc."
C.J. Okay, but none of my visitors are going to be able to understand my tombstone.
BARTLET Twenty-seven lawyers in the room, anybody know "post hoc, ergo propter hoc?" Josh?
JOSH Uh, uh, post, after, after hoc, ergo, therefore, after hoc, therefore, something else hoc.
BARTLET Thank you. Next?
JOSH Uh, if I'd gotten more credit on the 443...
BARTLET Leo?
LEO After it, therefore because of it. [Josh, a little weirded out, looks]
BARTLET After it, therefore because of it. It means one thing follows the other, therefore it was caused by the other, but it's not always true. In fact, it's hardly ever true. We did not lose Texas because of the hat joke. Do you know when we lost Texas?
C.J. When you learned to speak Latin?
Posted by lynx at 8:36 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 10, 2005
Tip of the Day
Don't spend five hours in the sun, and then decide to have an extra glass of wine before bed.
Posted by lynx at 11:24 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
I lied.
We didn't do Latin, or math. We did chores, hit two libraries, and then spent five hours at the pool.
The three younger children tanned nicely. My oldest and I look like lobsters.
Posted by lynx at 12:11 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 9, 2005
Did Today
The Du Toits are launching a new homeschool tracking program called Did Today. You can go here to see a demo.
I can't see using it with kids as young as mine. I always know exactly what they're doing, because they do it with me. Did Today could be very useful for high school, though, as it will gather your activities into a cohesive transcript. It's certainly the most flexible tracking/planning system I've ever looked at, and I love the fact that family members can log in to see the kids' work.
Posted by lynx at 8:03 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Rambling
I haven't blogged about school or our days, lately. Our days have fallen into a comfortable routine, and it's really hot.
We get up, do math and Latin, and it's really hot.
Then we do other stuff. And it's still hot.
We're reading "Atticus the Storyteller's 100 Greek Myths," "Little House on the Prairie," some picture books of "Just So Stories," and whatever else Griffin hands me, usually something to do with dinosaurs and bugs.
When I say hot, I mean that at 11 pm the heat index is 87. If I was Supreme Goddess of the planet, there would be no such thing as a heat index at 11 pm.
I started this post nine hours ago. Connor was up late, not feeling well, and we ended up having a midnight discussion with him that ranged from orbital mechanics to whether plesiosaurs still exist through a rousing bit on adaptive mutations and the effect of radiation on the body.
(By the way, at 8 am the heat index is 82.)
Time to drag these sleepy-heads out of bed. We'll do Latin, and math, and reading and ... um, history. Then we'll go to the pool. And the other library where I owe money, and where an ILL book is waiting (they never tell me which one - it's a surprise!).
Posted by lynx at 8:02 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 8, 2005
Surreal Exercise Music of the Day
"Rhiannon" and "You're So Vain." Imagine them with a dance beat. Never mind, don't. It's enough that I had to hear them.
Posted by lynx at 11:01 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
RSS Good
My computer time is much happier now that I've figured this nifty RSS thing out. Now if any of you post an entry on your blog, I know about it almost instantly. Voila! No more checking your site only to find that you have not chosen to light up my world that morning by posting. Plus, I can go to one page and see everyone's new posts, all at once.
Cool.
These computer people, they're pretty smart.
Posted by lynx at 10:58 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
Panmarino
this, more or less is the recipe for the panmarino I made last night. I used 1/4 cup of olive oil, more rosemary (I have a huge bush in the back yard), less salt, 3/4 c each of milk and water, and four cups of flour, half whole wheat, half white.
But other than that ...
You eat it by tearing chunks off the loaves and dipping the chunks into olive oil and balsamic vinegar. If you're really adventurous, you add garlic, basil and red pepper flakes to the oil and vinegar. Serve with minestrone.
I don't need anything else. I can just eat this all day. Every day.
Posted by lynx at 8:34 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
June 7, 2005
Maybe one day ...
I've been looking around the DFW area for a college with a decent offering in the classics. No deal.
Yikes.
Finally I found the master of humanities program at the University of Dallas. This is a Catholic university (is anyone surprised?). They do take non-Catholics, though. (Plus after a couple of years of Henle, couldn't I qualify as an honorary Catholic?) I could take a classics concentration within the humanities degree. It looks like a fine program and a fine school. The school itself has a strong great books emphasis.
I wonder if it costs an arm and a leg?
They offer some evening courses, but most of the classwork is offered in the daytime. Yick. Still, I can't commit to any such type of program until the little kids are older, so I have plenty of time to work out the logistics.
Posted by lynx at 10:36 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
June 6, 2005
I forgot!
Here is our beautiful, wonderful, lovely tile. You can see the SPT* in the entry. The tile continues around the corner, and all through the (purple) hall bath.
*Stupid Pink Tile
Posted by lynx at 8:22 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
The Garden
I apologize. Our camera has developed the soul of an impressionist, so everything I photograph is seen though a bit of a blurry haze in the middle.
The chaste trees are blooming this week:
The blackberries are beautiful, but not at all ripe. Why? Why?
The lantana is beautiful. See, Jo? In Texas, we plant lantana on purpose.
The garden boxes. I had no idea dill grew that tall. Did you? The plants growing like mad outside the box are pumpkins. It's too early for pumpkins. I didn't plant them. They just happened.
Posted by lynx at 7:43 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
June 5, 2005
What was that about love of learning?
Peace Hill Press won't really have copies of "Story of the World, Volume 4" in stores until August. They do have a few paperback pre-publication issues available through their website. And I just bought one.
Do you want to know why?
Because this history-thirsty nine year old who dwells in my house sat down today and read SOTW 3. For an hour and a half. He finished it. He begged for the next one.
So we have a deal. He will read as much history as he wants to. He will tell me when he wants extra books on a topic (and sometimes, of course, Mom will insist on extra books for particular topics of great importance). We will discuss. He will keep a timeline, look up all locations in the atlas - and he promises me a typed narration a week.
You caught me, throwing that sneaky typed narration thing in there, didn't you? He has no problems with that.
Whoa.
Am I crazy to worry about him moving too fast? I worry that he'll zoom through the SOTW books and accompanying material so fast that he won't remember much, and won't get the sense of how it hangs together. I figure, though, that ... he's nine. It's not like he doesn't have time to fix that. Maybe I'm more worried that he'll get ahead of where I'm reading, leading to something like this:
Son: "Mom, why did the French (something something something)?"
Mom: "Er ... hey, that's a great question. Wait right here while I go search the internet/run to the library/call your father ..."
No, of course I'm not really worried at all. This is what it's all about, right? The kid loves history: may he fly high and far with it.
Anyone have a spare set of Landmarks they can sell me?
Posted by lynx at 5:05 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
June 4, 2005
Who knew?
Def Leppard is playing here next weekend. I haven't been to a concert in years, and I plan to go. It's a general admission show at a ballpark. It's Def Leppard, and it's 2005. I figured I'd pick up tickets any time.
I checked prices last night. The show is sold out.
Sold out?!
Really, who would have thought?
Posted by lynx at 11:20 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
June 3, 2005
And speaking of Trafalgar
So, this year is the 200th anniversary of Nelson's routing of the combined French and Spanish fleet. The Brits are going to have a huge celebration, and a reenactment of the battle.
Except the reenactment will not be between the British and the French and Spanish. No, the battle will be between the red fleet and the blue fleet.
This is being done to avoid the embarrassment of assembled French dignitaries at the event feeling humiliated by watching their nation routed again, The Sunday Times said
The poor, poor French. Who knew their egos were so very fragile?
Official literature for the planned event next month will also be toned down, describing the extravaganza as a re-enactment not of Trafalgar but of "an early 19th century sea battle".
And we'll all just pretend it never happened.
Posted by lynx at 5:41 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
He's writing!
Today Connor asked me: "Mom, are we going to do any writing today?"
Very carefully, so as not to wake myself up from this lovely dream, I said yes, and asked him if he had anything in particular in mind.
Here is what he wrote (typed), posted with permission, spelling errors corrected:
THE BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR. The Spanish/French fleet was sent to destroy the British fleet and get the French transports to England. The fleet of 22 British ships challenged the fleet of 39 Spanish/French ships. The British admiral Horatio Nelson ordered his fleet into two columns. The columns were exposed to lots of fire, but finally the British crashed through the enemy lines. Nelson died on his deck. At the end 8 Spanish/French ships were captured. The British won the battle.
I can't tell you how relieved and thrilled I am.
This morning also included the sweet words: "You mean that's all there is about the War of 1812 in our 'Story of the World' book? Why? Can we get some other books about it?" (Though unforuntately the sad answer to that question is, "Not until Mommy pays her library fines, dear.")
Posted by lynx at 4:56 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
What would you do to be able to vote?
Are you willing to stand in long lines?
I am, even though I have four kids I might have to bring with me. And I would, even if I made an "honest living."
Posted by lynx at 4:05 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Need ... coffee ...
It's one of those "Did you get the number of that truck?" mornings, after a busy week. And I don't mean busy in a good way; I mean busy as in doctor's appointments and places we had to be more than places we wanted to be. We're all tired. I got up late. The kids are all still sleeping, in spite of the fact that it's past their regular time to wake up, and I actually woke them up half an hour ago.
Memorial Day Weekend we ripped the carpet out of our hallway and tiled the hallway and the hall bath. It looks good. Now we know we can do it ... now we start on the rest of the house. That is back-breaking work, that is. I had Jeff teach me how to do it so that we can work on it during the daytime. Thus my kids learn how to do some useful, tiring work, and we don't take up all of Daddy's evenings and weekends making him tile everything.
I'd show you a picture, but someone has taken the batteries out of my camera.
I'm hoping for a nice, quiet day. There's a huge storm coming at us, so it won't be a nice, quiet day where the kids can play outside. Hopefully it won't be the kind of nice, quiet day that involves huddling in the closet.
Posted by lynx at 8:37 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 2, 2005
Homebirth
Here's a nice article on why one couple chooses home birth.
For those who don't know, we had our last baby at home and it was a wonderful experience, light-years away from our first, planned hospital birth.
Hat Tip Izzy
Posted by lynx at 7:58 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack