I have a friend with nine kids. She trusts that the Lord will 'close her womb' when He is ready for her to stop having kids. I wish I could be that trusting of the Lord's vision for my family. We really do want a fourth, but given that we already have three kids with epilepsy, the odds on having one without are pretty slim. And woe be to the normal child born into our family. I'm guessing an abnormally heavy burden would be on his/her heart as s/he grows up to care for siblings who need it.
I do believe He intentionally put my kids together, either to be with each other, or to be raised by us. When I was pregnant with the third, we only knew that the eldest child had epilepsy. His, was idiopathic, possibly caused by a birth injury or low oxygen during labor. We had no reason to think that the other kids would have the same problem. I didn't have the amnio or Chorionic Villus Sampling, more because I was concerned about the risks than having a strong opinion about the results. My doctors pushed, because I was older, and my father is adopted. I think doctors fear the unknown. I knew the Lord had created these children and I had no cause to worry.
Our second child was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was two. The doctor couldn't believe it. He did another EEG. The shocking part was that her EEG pattern was displaying a type of brainwave that indicated a genetic type of epilepsy. So I have one with epilepsy of unknown cause, and one with an apparently genetic type. All eyes went straight to the baby.
You know how the EEG works, right? You go to a clinic or hospital, get your head wired up and lay in a room for 30 to 60 minutes while your brain waves are recorded. Sometimes you go in sleep deprived, sometimes they ask you to hyperventilate, sometimes they flash strobe lights at you. The technicians are trying to elicit a seizure or seizure response so the patterns can be recorded. It's like taking wildlife photos from inside your house. The cardinals may be outside, but unless it flys by the window while you are holding the camera, you won't get the shot.
Same thing with an EEG, if nothing happens during the recording of the brain waves, the doctor might not have any evidence to help determine if you have epilepsy, much less, what kind. I've been told that there is about a 50/50 chance of catching abnormal brain waves in an EEG. A negative EEG doesn't necessarily mean the patient doesn't have epilepsy.
So, now we have one child with one type of brain wave, a second child with fantastic luck on the EEG recording a different type of abnormal brain wave, and time comes to check the baby. Lo and behold she has the same type of pattern as the second child. It looks like they both have the same type of genetically inherited epilepsy. While the first child dodged the bullet on that, he still developed epilepsy anyway. So of course the recommendation is genetic testing. Why, that would answer so many questions, wouldn't it. Wouldn't it?
After extensive discussions with our very understanding and eager doctor, he agreed that no matter what the genetic testing showed, it wouldn't change the prognosis or treatment of the kids. But I know how I feel about having more kids. I feel broken and sad, and know that I won't have more because I am afraid of having more children with a chronic ailment. As much as I love and adore these people, as hard as I try to not let them feel different, I am still fearful of having more. I don't want to saddle my kids with that knowledge until they are ready to handle it. And what if they choose to not want that information. You can't just put the toothpaste back in the tube, right? So we have made the decision to not have genetic testing on the kids. When they are grown, when they are married, maybe they will make those choices for themselves. But I'm not going to put another label on my kids. Not if it doesn't help heal, help treat, help cure. I just don't see anything helpful about it now.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Vocab of The Hound of the Baskervilles
In the previous post, I gave an overview for the homeschool mom of The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. As promised, vocab by chapter. In the vocab list for The Call of the Canyon, I expected my son will cover one chapter every three days, but the chapters in this volume are much smaller, so I combine two chapters of vocabulary this way:
Day 1: Look up vocabulary for Chapter One and Two (neatness counts!)
Day 2: Read Chapter One and Two
Day 3: Write 15 sentences with selected vocabulary words from Day One
Day 4: Look up vocabulary for Chapter Three and Four
Day 5: so on and so forth until the book is complete, five weeks later
As in The Call of the Canyon, there is a reference to "making love" which in this era meant not much more than sitting on a park bench cooing like love birds. You might want to go over this with your child before s/he hits that part. Another lovely opportunity to discuss what is acceptable behavior in our teens, and what our culture brainwashes them into believing is normal.
Chapters One and Two
Bulbous Ferrule Piqued Convex Erroneous Fallacies Inference Amiable Astutely Fulsome Dexterity Forgery Monograph Resignation Grievously Carouse Betwixt Wench Anon Bemused Squires Twain Amiability Scion Bewailing Inquest Eccentric Corroborated Cardiac Organic Prosaic Tenant Impassive Indorse Untenanted Sparsely Trivial Chimerical
Chapters Three and Four
Impenetrable Realm Spectral Hitherto Diabolical Vestry Flippantly Obliged Congenial Seclusion Immaterial Acrid Convict Singular Bewildering Inquest Coherent Baronet Pugnacious Expedient Cajoled Tariff Utmost Speculation Trifles Vengeance Languid Loiterers Benevolent Wily Sauntering Reverence
Chapters Five and Six
Articulate Conjunction Ample Insignificant Venerable Entailed Endeavor Besmirched Proposition Wrung Sovereign Rueful Conjectured Audacious Injunctions Bias Imprudent Exalted Comrade Bramble Waning Equestrian Ferocity Wanton Commutation Atrocious Sombre Discern Balustrade Dias Copses Melancholy
Chapters Seven and Eight
Efface Pallid Erroneous Propitious Excursion Credulous Placid Reproved Cordial Grazier Interminable Irretrievably Tinged Irresolution Induce Monoliths Scarred Antiquarian Disapprobation Choleric Furtive Cunning Surmise Conjecture Concealment Belated Unmitigated Conscientious Incriminating Personification
Chapters Nine and Ten
Reproached Gesticulated Haughty Peremptory Displeasure Rueful Brusquely Conjectures Upshot Cultivating Floundering Agitation Warders Unmitigated Crevice Vile Tor Indelibly Abortive Spectral Distrait Abetting Faculties Atone Deluged Sodden Morass Pittance Connoisseur Cavalier
Chapters Eleven and Twelve
Delicacy Retiring Almoner Torrent Rendezvous Inconclusive Incessant Abhor Reticent Magnates Warren Effigy Incredulity Urchin Toiling Furtive Indignation Decanter Dissuading Incisive Contrived Tenacity Vehemence Piteous Precipitous Paroxysm Ruffianly Roisterer (in the book as Roysterer) Afoot Juncture
Chapters Thirteen and Fourteen
Perceptibly Recital Dictated Precipice Sensational Analogous Reverential Loath Fulfillment Void Hampered Halted Admirable Ambush Serrated Inexorably Inert Hackles Delirious Vulnerable Insensible Feeble Endangered Doddering Defiant Baulk Swathed Weal Mottled Hale Peninsula Quagmires Miasmatic Undulations Perilous Morass Fathomed
Chapter Fifteen
Atrocious Barrister Purloined Consumptive Disrepute Infamy Entomology Ingenious Finesse Diabolical Penetrate Coincide Specious Infernal Lair Accomplice Grotesque Expedient Audacity Instructive Elucidate Waning Confidant Lisping Reproach Implicating Fidelity
Day 1: Look up vocabulary for Chapter One and Two (neatness counts!)
Day 2: Read Chapter One and Two
Day 3: Write 15 sentences with selected vocabulary words from Day One
Day 4: Look up vocabulary for Chapter Three and Four
Day 5: so on and so forth until the book is complete, five weeks later
As in The Call of the Canyon, there is a reference to "making love" which in this era meant not much more than sitting on a park bench cooing like love birds. You might want to go over this with your child before s/he hits that part. Another lovely opportunity to discuss what is acceptable behavior in our teens, and what our culture brainwashes them into believing is normal.
Chapters One and Two
Bulbous Ferrule Piqued Convex Erroneous Fallacies Inference Amiable Astutely Fulsome Dexterity Forgery Monograph Resignation Grievously Carouse Betwixt Wench Anon Bemused Squires Twain Amiability Scion Bewailing Inquest Eccentric Corroborated Cardiac Organic Prosaic Tenant Impassive Indorse Untenanted Sparsely Trivial Chimerical
Chapters Three and Four
Impenetrable Realm Spectral Hitherto Diabolical Vestry Flippantly Obliged Congenial Seclusion Immaterial Acrid Convict Singular Bewildering Inquest Coherent Baronet Pugnacious Expedient Cajoled Tariff Utmost Speculation Trifles Vengeance Languid Loiterers Benevolent Wily Sauntering Reverence
Chapters Five and Six
Articulate Conjunction Ample Insignificant Venerable Entailed Endeavor Besmirched Proposition Wrung Sovereign Rueful Conjectured Audacious Injunctions Bias Imprudent Exalted Comrade Bramble Waning Equestrian Ferocity Wanton Commutation Atrocious Sombre Discern Balustrade Dias Copses Melancholy
Chapters Seven and Eight
Efface Pallid Erroneous Propitious Excursion Credulous Placid Reproved Cordial Grazier Interminable Irretrievably Tinged Irresolution Induce Monoliths Scarred Antiquarian Disapprobation Choleric Furtive Cunning Surmise Conjecture Concealment Belated Unmitigated Conscientious Incriminating Personification
Chapters Nine and Ten
Reproached Gesticulated Haughty Peremptory Displeasure Rueful Brusquely Conjectures Upshot Cultivating Floundering Agitation Warders Unmitigated Crevice Vile Tor Indelibly Abortive Spectral Distrait Abetting Faculties Atone Deluged Sodden Morass Pittance Connoisseur Cavalier
Chapters Eleven and Twelve
Delicacy Retiring Almoner Torrent Rendezvous Inconclusive Incessant Abhor Reticent Magnates Warren Effigy Incredulity Urchin Toiling Furtive Indignation Decanter Dissuading Incisive Contrived Tenacity Vehemence Piteous Precipitous Paroxysm Ruffianly Roisterer (in the book as Roysterer) Afoot Juncture
Chapters Thirteen and Fourteen
Perceptibly Recital Dictated Precipice Sensational Analogous Reverential Loath Fulfillment Void Hampered Halted Admirable Ambush Serrated Inexorably Inert Hackles Delirious Vulnerable Insensible Feeble Endangered Doddering Defiant Baulk Swathed Weal Mottled Hale Peninsula Quagmires Miasmatic Undulations Perilous Morass Fathomed
Chapter Fifteen
Atrocious Barrister Purloined Consumptive Disrepute Infamy Entomology Ingenious Finesse Diabolical Penetrate Coincide Specious Infernal Lair Accomplice Grotesque Expedient Audacity Instructive Elucidate Waning Confidant Lisping Reproach Implicating Fidelity
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The Hound of the Baskervilles
If you have read some of my other posts you know I have been working hard at compiling my 9th (10th?) grade son's literature curriculum for the year. Most packaged curriculums only offer snippets of books. I'd rather my kids read really great books in their entirety! In my mind, the purpose of good literature is to transport the reader, to give the reader a new perspective to interpret his own life, and to spend time in imagination.
When I was a young student, I loved being in the middle of a book, and going to bed at night and dreaming about what those characters would do. It sparks creativity. If you only read a portion of a book, how can you develop a sense of the characters enough to imagine their responses, or to recreate their world in your head?
Also, it seems that most homeschool recommendations by grade level far exceed the grade level a corresponding public school student. My son has only been out of public school three years, he's not reading at a college level yet. I had to select books for him that he could understand and enjoy, not that he would struggle to get through and glare at me between chapters, which brings me to my next selection for this year.
I started The Scarlet Letter and Wuthering Heights earlier this summer, but they proved to be a little too Victorian and wordy. You know how those first few chapters are spent trying to just get used to the rhythm of the language? Well, not so with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles (found on gutenberg.org). In fact, I think that having completed that book, it might be a good stepping off point into other more challenging Victorian works. We'll see how it goes.
The language and style in this novel was about on par with Burnett's The Secret Garden, but the material was more mature, and there were more words that may not be known. I'll provide a vocab list separately. It was a fun run through the moor with enough twists and turns to keep the reader occupied without getting too confused.
I will say, for you Christian Homeschooling moms (of which I am, too) there may be some concern about the "man of science" position of Sherlock Holmes. This is the first Holmes book I have read, and I didn't find it to discount faith at all. The premise is that Holmes is presented with what sounds like a legend, an evil hound patrolling the moor at night to bring down the Baskerville empire. Holmes discounts anything he can't quantify, thereby drawing conclusions from evidence not rumor. Not a bad object lesson for teens in my opinion.
In fact, I found a few quotes I thought opened some doors for conversation in morality and faith, like:
"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes", which to my mind brings up the obviousness of creation and nature itself and the denial by so many of a singular creator.
and
"The work to a man of my temperament was mechanical and uninteresting, but the privilege of living with youth, of helping to mold those young minds, and of impressing them with one's own character and ideals was very dear to me", spoken by a former teacher. Really? Is that the job of an educator? To impress them with the teacher's character and ideals? Or to impress them with the textbook writer's ideals? Or shall we be impressing Christ's own ideals on our children?
and the very thought provoking:
"A lucky long shot of my revolver might have crippled him, but I had brought it only to defend myself if attacked and not to shoot an unarmed man who was running away." This statement about pursing a known murderer, an escaped convict, yet Holmes would only shoot him in self defense, not to take him down like an animal on the hunt. Interesting perspective. You can go so many different ways on this to share your family's perspective on protection of the family versus protection of the whole. The rights of man, the guilt of us all. So much you can do with that little thought.
My daughter is asking for some computer time, so I will update with vocabulary later. It wasn't as thick in challenging words as The Call of the Canyon, so I may do this book before that one this year.
Who am I? Find out on my bio page.
When I was a young student, I loved being in the middle of a book, and going to bed at night and dreaming about what those characters would do. It sparks creativity. If you only read a portion of a book, how can you develop a sense of the characters enough to imagine their responses, or to recreate their world in your head?
Also, it seems that most homeschool recommendations by grade level far exceed the grade level a corresponding public school student. My son has only been out of public school three years, he's not reading at a college level yet. I had to select books for him that he could understand and enjoy, not that he would struggle to get through and glare at me between chapters, which brings me to my next selection for this year.
I started The Scarlet Letter and Wuthering Heights earlier this summer, but they proved to be a little too Victorian and wordy. You know how those first few chapters are spent trying to just get used to the rhythm of the language? Well, not so with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles (found on gutenberg.org). In fact, I think that having completed that book, it might be a good stepping off point into other more challenging Victorian works. We'll see how it goes.
The language and style in this novel was about on par with Burnett's The Secret Garden, but the material was more mature, and there were more words that may not be known. I'll provide a vocab list separately. It was a fun run through the moor with enough twists and turns to keep the reader occupied without getting too confused.
I will say, for you Christian Homeschooling moms (of which I am, too) there may be some concern about the "man of science" position of Sherlock Holmes. This is the first Holmes book I have read, and I didn't find it to discount faith at all. The premise is that Holmes is presented with what sounds like a legend, an evil hound patrolling the moor at night to bring down the Baskerville empire. Holmes discounts anything he can't quantify, thereby drawing conclusions from evidence not rumor. Not a bad object lesson for teens in my opinion.
In fact, I found a few quotes I thought opened some doors for conversation in morality and faith, like:
"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes", which to my mind brings up the obviousness of creation and nature itself and the denial by so many of a singular creator.
and
"The work to a man of my temperament was mechanical and uninteresting, but the privilege of living with youth, of helping to mold those young minds, and of impressing them with one's own character and ideals was very dear to me", spoken by a former teacher. Really? Is that the job of an educator? To impress them with the teacher's character and ideals? Or to impress them with the textbook writer's ideals? Or shall we be impressing Christ's own ideals on our children?
and the very thought provoking:
"A lucky long shot of my revolver might have crippled him, but I had brought it only to defend myself if attacked and not to shoot an unarmed man who was running away." This statement about pursing a known murderer, an escaped convict, yet Holmes would only shoot him in self defense, not to take him down like an animal on the hunt. Interesting perspective. You can go so many different ways on this to share your family's perspective on protection of the family versus protection of the whole. The rights of man, the guilt of us all. So much you can do with that little thought.
My daughter is asking for some computer time, so I will update with vocabulary later. It wasn't as thick in challenging words as The Call of the Canyon, so I may do this book before that one this year.
Who am I? Find out on my bio page.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Does Your Child's Disability Define Them?
I hear from a lot of mothers, this claim that they won't let their child's disability define who they are. What really surprises me is how many Christian mothers tell me this. Children with congenital disabilities or deformities. "I wont LET this define my child". Why not?
I know I have the unique perspective of a mother whose three children were all born with a congenital disability. (I won't even go into the term "disability" here.) It is impossible for me to NOT see that these three little people were put together in this time and this place for His glory. If you only have one, maybe you feel it was a fluke. Maybe you think you are being tested or you screwed something up. But when you have three as I do, you get to see there is purpose behind this arrangement.
But to you, mother of two "normal" healthy children and the one with all the hardships and challenges, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, medication once, twice, three times a day, to you my dear, I know you may feel something went terribly amiss when your child was created. I am here to tell you no.it.did.not.
I crochet, it is kind of a fog clearing thing. When everything is confusing, I can battle with a pattern that makes no sense, stick with it, work through it, and get to the result I thought I was never going to find. I wish life worked that way. So of course, Psalm 139 is a favorite of mine. It says God knit us together in our mother's womb. He knew me before my mother did and He knew my child before I did. He made my child the way He wanted. Migraine, Epilepsy, ODD, speech delays, all of these things He knew before my kids were even born! He knew what He was doing, and I can trust that.
So I come back around to being defined by a disability. If God created your child the way he is and wanted him to be that way, why would we want to fight against it? I'm not saying our kids shouldn't work up to their potential, and get every opportunity they deserve, but epilepsy makes my kids creative. They see the world so very differently from other people who have just one perspective. Epilepsy makes my kids compassionate. They are so loving and generous to people in need, people hurting, people scared, because they know how that feels. Epilepsy makes my kids introspective, and a well examined life is lived so much more fully.
We live in a world full of fake beauty, false success and empty riches. People living their lives to acquire and accumulate often don't see how empty their lives are until the end. Facing people, children especially, with disabilities brings a humanity to overachieving automatons and hopefully shines a light on what is worthy, what is valuable, what is important in life.
Bless your children, and bless you, mom of the handicapped child. You are doing important work for your entire community, not just for your own family. See why I care at my bio page.
I know I have the unique perspective of a mother whose three children were all born with a congenital disability. (I won't even go into the term "disability" here.) It is impossible for me to NOT see that these three little people were put together in this time and this place for His glory. If you only have one, maybe you feel it was a fluke. Maybe you think you are being tested or you screwed something up. But when you have three as I do, you get to see there is purpose behind this arrangement.
But to you, mother of two "normal" healthy children and the one with all the hardships and challenges, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, medication once, twice, three times a day, to you my dear, I know you may feel something went terribly amiss when your child was created. I am here to tell you no.it.did.not.
I crochet, it is kind of a fog clearing thing. When everything is confusing, I can battle with a pattern that makes no sense, stick with it, work through it, and get to the result I thought I was never going to find. I wish life worked that way. So of course, Psalm 139 is a favorite of mine. It says God knit us together in our mother's womb. He knew me before my mother did and He knew my child before I did. He made my child the way He wanted. Migraine, Epilepsy, ODD, speech delays, all of these things He knew before my kids were even born! He knew what He was doing, and I can trust that.
So I come back around to being defined by a disability. If God created your child the way he is and wanted him to be that way, why would we want to fight against it? I'm not saying our kids shouldn't work up to their potential, and get every opportunity they deserve, but epilepsy makes my kids creative. They see the world so very differently from other people who have just one perspective. Epilepsy makes my kids compassionate. They are so loving and generous to people in need, people hurting, people scared, because they know how that feels. Epilepsy makes my kids introspective, and a well examined life is lived so much more fully.
We live in a world full of fake beauty, false success and empty riches. People living their lives to acquire and accumulate often don't see how empty their lives are until the end. Facing people, children especially, with disabilities brings a humanity to overachieving automatons and hopefully shines a light on what is worthy, what is valuable, what is important in life.
Bless your children, and bless you, mom of the handicapped child. You are doing important work for your entire community, not just for your own family. See why I care at my bio page.
From the Garden
I had lots of tomatoes sitting around the house to somehow go with the risotto I made tonight.
My dad bought some hydroponic Santorini tomatoes to go with our Christmas dinner last year. I liked them so much I tried planting the seeds. In December.
Now, July, it is the biggest plant in my yard. I kept it inside, stunted to about two feet, until Good Friday. These plants are the most humongous I have ever planted. And productive? Oh, yes!
A little basil, balsamic and pepper, and I was a very happy momma.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Vocab of The Call of the Canyon
I'm sure this is fascinating reading for the random visitor. But for you homeschool moms out there like me compiling your own work, a la Charlotte Mason here is my selection of vocabulary for The Call of the Canyon by Zane Grey (available for free on Gutenberg.org). Here is how this will play out in my lessons:
Day 1: Look up vocabulary for Chapter One (neatness counts!)
Day 2: Read Chapter One
Day 3: Write 15 sentences with selected vocabulary words from Day One
Day 4: Look up vocabulary for Chapter Two
Day 5: so on and so forth until the book is complete, six weeks later.
I don't usually do questions, we have conversations about the book. I occasionally use questions as a jumping off point to write some argumentative narrative. I may add those questions in a later post. I'm thinking of using this as a place to start conversations about marriage and cover biblical responsibilities.
For now, vocabulary:
Chapter One
Aloofness Myriad Blanched Strife Pealing Enveloped Perplexed Wretch Induce Degradation Looming Squalid Uncouth Perusal Blight Blunting Ponder Adjoining Transatlantic Enterprise Abeyance Vigilant Crass Quaint Consumptive Vista Crude Espied Incredulously Dispelled Languid Affronted Soliciting Patronage Discordant Phonograph Laconic Spigot Torrent Intermittent Partake Squalid Sordid Dilapidated Apathetic Incalculably
Chapter Two
Abated Gorge Intimation Glades Bisected Eddying Unscalable Singular Disengage Fagged Lithe Drawling Antagonistically Divest Solicitous Wan Tenderfeet Cardinally Squalor Affronting Juncture Emanate Twinge Conducted Assailed Queried Billets Suffice Permeated Fissure Strained Dispelled Manifestly Pallid Inarticulate Disheveled Requisite Audacious Pirouetting Coquette Prevailing Affronted Proffered Reticent Confide Chiseled Unplumbed Betrothal Verge Opaque Tumult Intangible
Chapter Three
Primitive Waxing Intimation Susceptibility Privation Assuredly Donned Loquacious Gnarled Rampart Desecrating Potent Taunted Daunt Precluded Scrupulously Boughs Inscrutable Verdure Constricted Scudding Averse Usurping Instructive Imperiously Arraigned Ravenous
Chapter Four
Propitious Deviation Feigned Mollycoddle Bestrode Alacrity Manifested Acute Aspect Sparsely Somber Mirth Resentment Hobbling Disclosing Aghast Assimilation Endeavored Ludicrous Enamored Eloquently Petrifaction Derived Genially Privation Adjured Mitigating Eminence Effulgence Ethereal Coalescing Cavalcade Plight Pommel Thwarted Abject
Chapter Five
Acrid Insatiable Hombre Laconically Inimical Listless Divine Expulsion Furtive Scant Verdure Entail Antipathy Barren Confounded Illimitable Annihilating Infinitude Succumbing Denuded Lenient Baser Motliest Stolid
Chapter Six
Sloughing Ignoble Tumultuous Impassive Pathos Epithet Cynosure Inscrutable Repose Elude Soliloquized Repudiation Laconically Enigmatically Antitheses Barren Verily Contrarily Rift Oblivion Inarticulate Deceit
Chapter Seven
Discontent Germinate Intimations Conscientiously Query Surety Inhibited Sylvan Virility Dissociate Blighting Unalterable Inscrutable Presaged Boggy Mien Fastidious Ignominy Miasmas Shirked Desultory Callous Fidelity Transfigured Actuated Impondering Articulation Abased Strife
Chapter Eight
Poignant Firmament Lambent Transient Recurrent Tedious Palatial Prodigal Throng Devitalized Labyrinthine Harmonize Diverting Inaugurated Fastidious Gyrated Disparagingly Valiant Indolent Effete Imbibed Thronging Congenial
Chapter Nine
Sentimentalist Melancholic Inexorable Arraignment Erroneous Begetting Knave Reciprocated Aghast Farcical Frivolous Guise Sentiment Engendered Perusal Pathos Oblations Discordantly Poignant Subterfuge Laboriously Rancorous
Chapter Ten
Edifice Dissimulation Contempt Abasement Commensurate Dalliance Portent Inimical Vaunted Discordant Dubiously Dawdle Aloof Morbid Insidiously Havoc Ostracized Trenchant Prattled Incalculable Derided
Chapter Eleven
Innumerable Pinyons Escarpments Precipitous Abeyance Mesas Rending Shackles Gesticulation Staccato Loath Denizens Abnegation Infinitesimal Guileless
Chapter Twelve
Augmented Coalesced Maelstrom Aberration Irreparable Insidious Cataclysm Sublimity Inured Maladies Strenuous Garments Pondering Motley Fortitude
Day 1: Look up vocabulary for Chapter One (neatness counts!)
Day 2: Read Chapter One
Day 3: Write 15 sentences with selected vocabulary words from Day One
Day 4: Look up vocabulary for Chapter Two
Day 5: so on and so forth until the book is complete, six weeks later.
I don't usually do questions, we have conversations about the book. I occasionally use questions as a jumping off point to write some argumentative narrative. I may add those questions in a later post. I'm thinking of using this as a place to start conversations about marriage and cover biblical responsibilities.
For now, vocabulary:
Chapter One
Aloofness Myriad Blanched Strife Pealing Enveloped Perplexed Wretch Induce Degradation Looming Squalid Uncouth Perusal Blight Blunting Ponder Adjoining Transatlantic Enterprise Abeyance Vigilant Crass Quaint Consumptive Vista Crude Espied Incredulously Dispelled Languid Affronted Soliciting Patronage Discordant Phonograph Laconic Spigot Torrent Intermittent Partake Squalid Sordid Dilapidated Apathetic Incalculably
Chapter Two
Abated Gorge Intimation Glades Bisected Eddying Unscalable Singular Disengage Fagged Lithe Drawling Antagonistically Divest Solicitous Wan Tenderfeet Cardinally Squalor Affronting Juncture Emanate Twinge Conducted Assailed Queried Billets Suffice Permeated Fissure Strained Dispelled Manifestly Pallid Inarticulate Disheveled Requisite Audacious Pirouetting Coquette Prevailing Affronted Proffered Reticent Confide Chiseled Unplumbed Betrothal Verge Opaque Tumult Intangible
Chapter Three
Primitive Waxing Intimation Susceptibility Privation Assuredly Donned Loquacious Gnarled Rampart Desecrating Potent Taunted Daunt Precluded Scrupulously Boughs Inscrutable Verdure Constricted Scudding Averse Usurping Instructive Imperiously Arraigned Ravenous
Chapter Four
Propitious Deviation Feigned Mollycoddle Bestrode Alacrity Manifested Acute Aspect Sparsely Somber Mirth Resentment Hobbling Disclosing Aghast Assimilation Endeavored Ludicrous Enamored Eloquently Petrifaction Derived Genially Privation Adjured Mitigating Eminence Effulgence Ethereal Coalescing Cavalcade Plight Pommel Thwarted Abject
Chapter Five
Acrid Insatiable Hombre Laconically Inimical Listless Divine Expulsion Furtive Scant Verdure Entail Antipathy Barren Confounded Illimitable Annihilating Infinitude Succumbing Denuded Lenient Baser Motliest Stolid
Chapter Six
Sloughing Ignoble Tumultuous Impassive Pathos Epithet Cynosure Inscrutable Repose Elude Soliloquized Repudiation Laconically Enigmatically Antitheses Barren Verily Contrarily Rift Oblivion Inarticulate Deceit
Chapter Seven
Discontent Germinate Intimations Conscientiously Query Surety Inhibited Sylvan Virility Dissociate Blighting Unalterable Inscrutable Presaged Boggy Mien Fastidious Ignominy Miasmas Shirked Desultory Callous Fidelity Transfigured Actuated Impondering Articulation Abased Strife
Chapter Eight
Poignant Firmament Lambent Transient Recurrent Tedious Palatial Prodigal Throng Devitalized Labyrinthine Harmonize Diverting Inaugurated Fastidious Gyrated Disparagingly Valiant Indolent Effete Imbibed Thronging Congenial
Chapter Nine
Sentimentalist Melancholic Inexorable Arraignment Erroneous Begetting Knave Reciprocated Aghast Farcical Frivolous Guise Sentiment Engendered Perusal Pathos Oblations Discordantly Poignant Subterfuge Laboriously Rancorous
Chapter Ten
Edifice Dissimulation Contempt Abasement Commensurate Dalliance Portent Inimical Vaunted Discordant Dubiously Dawdle Aloof Morbid Insidiously Havoc Ostracized Trenchant Prattled Incalculable Derided
Chapter Eleven
Innumerable Pinyons Escarpments Precipitous Abeyance Mesas Rending Shackles Gesticulation Staccato Loath Denizens Abnegation Infinitesimal Guileless
Chapter Twelve
Augmented Coalesced Maelstrom Aberration Irreparable Insidious Cataclysm Sublimity Inured Maladies Strenuous Garments Pondering Motley Fortitude
Sunday, July 8, 2012
What would I sacrifice?
I have been struggling for some time now with the idea of cost. Sacrifice. My husband and I have been discussing adopting. We should be praying about it, but I'm sorry to say we haven't been doing enough of that. Although I have been testing God by saying "Thy will be done", I haven't actually put my own foot forward to see if the doors would even be opened.
Adding another child to our family seems like a blessing on the outside. I wonder though if I am sacrificing the well being and care of the three children I already do have. They are not physically dependent on me like some disabled children although they each go through their time of dependency and need more than other "normal" children. So I ask myself, is it even responsible to add another child to this mix? Am I taking for granted the needs of the three already here? Is it fair to us? Would it even be fair to the adopted child?
This morning's bible study was Acts 21. What struck me was the prophecy that Paul would be bound by the Jews of Jerusalem and handed over to the Gentiles. In response to this proclamation, Paul says "The Lord's will be done". Acts 21:14b. Christians usually glaze over statements like these. Paul is willing to sacrifice himself. He always is. That is a fundamental trait of the disciples and apostles. But is it running through his head whether not it is a wise sacrifice? That's what stops me.
There is no doubt that I would jump in front of a moving car to sacrifice myself for my child. I would give my life to give them longer, healthier lives, especially lives in the new Jerusalem. But, would I sacrifice their comfort for the comfort of another? Would I take away hamburgers and french fries for the three to give peanut butter and jelly to five?
(as I type this I am reprimanding my children for being loud and disruptive just so I can get these thoughts out, an obvious sacrifice of their desire to go outside and play to my desire to understand God's will for my life.)
Before I've even completed processing these thoughts for today, I hop over to 2Samuel, where I am catching up on my reading I do with my eldest child. Uzzah is in charge of transporting the Ark of the Covenant. Human hands cannot touch this holy of holies. He prepares the animals to transport the ark, but something happens. An Ox stumbles and Uzzah reaches out to catch the pole holding the Ark. Because Uzzah had not properly handled the preparations and transportation of the carrying of the Ark, he touched it. God struck him dead, "because of his irreverent act." Ack!
Is it irreverent of me, a mother, to invite another person into my home before I have adequately cared for the spiritual welfare of the three I already have? Or is it irreverent of me to not reach out to one I have the moderate means to provide for? I really wish I knew. I had hoped in writing these thoughts down that a decision would make itself apparent. Kids wandering in and out of the room tell me that maybe I don't have my house in order yet. I don't spend enough time praying for them. I don't spend enough time studying the word with them. It may be less about spreading our financial resources thinner and more about developing our spiritual resources to better be prepared for the growth of our family, which will inevitably come when our children marry and have families of their own.
Adding another child to our family seems like a blessing on the outside. I wonder though if I am sacrificing the well being and care of the three children I already do have. They are not physically dependent on me like some disabled children although they each go through their time of dependency and need more than other "normal" children. So I ask myself, is it even responsible to add another child to this mix? Am I taking for granted the needs of the three already here? Is it fair to us? Would it even be fair to the adopted child?
This morning's bible study was Acts 21. What struck me was the prophecy that Paul would be bound by the Jews of Jerusalem and handed over to the Gentiles. In response to this proclamation, Paul says "The Lord's will be done". Acts 21:14b. Christians usually glaze over statements like these. Paul is willing to sacrifice himself. He always is. That is a fundamental trait of the disciples and apostles. But is it running through his head whether not it is a wise sacrifice? That's what stops me.
There is no doubt that I would jump in front of a moving car to sacrifice myself for my child. I would give my life to give them longer, healthier lives, especially lives in the new Jerusalem. But, would I sacrifice their comfort for the comfort of another? Would I take away hamburgers and french fries for the three to give peanut butter and jelly to five?
(as I type this I am reprimanding my children for being loud and disruptive just so I can get these thoughts out, an obvious sacrifice of their desire to go outside and play to my desire to understand God's will for my life.)
Before I've even completed processing these thoughts for today, I hop over to 2Samuel, where I am catching up on my reading I do with my eldest child. Uzzah is in charge of transporting the Ark of the Covenant. Human hands cannot touch this holy of holies. He prepares the animals to transport the ark, but something happens. An Ox stumbles and Uzzah reaches out to catch the pole holding the Ark. Because Uzzah had not properly handled the preparations and transportation of the carrying of the Ark, he touched it. God struck him dead, "because of his irreverent act." Ack!
Is it irreverent of me, a mother, to invite another person into my home before I have adequately cared for the spiritual welfare of the three I already have? Or is it irreverent of me to not reach out to one I have the moderate means to provide for? I really wish I knew. I had hoped in writing these thoughts down that a decision would make itself apparent. Kids wandering in and out of the room tell me that maybe I don't have my house in order yet. I don't spend enough time praying for them. I don't spend enough time studying the word with them. It may be less about spreading our financial resources thinner and more about developing our spiritual resources to better be prepared for the growth of our family, which will inevitably come when our children marry and have families of their own.
Friday, July 6, 2012
No 'Poo Hair Care
Ugh, I have the worst hair. Thin and boring, it gets tangled so easily and I have to use heavy conditioners just to brush it. And it falls out - even when I'm using my biotin. Add to that, I hate the conditioners. I know they are the reason why I have breakouts on my chin and back.
So this spring I started using the baking soda and vinegar method to clean my hair. I did love it, but when summer got here (I live in the hot hot south) I thought I needed to go back to shampoo (and of course, then conditioner). Inevitably, the breakouts came back, and my hair was limp and nasty again. So back to the cheap and easy method I went. Oh, I am so much happier. And my hair looks surprisingly good for mid July.
To get started using this method to clean your hair, re-purpose two old shampoo bottles to mix your ingredients. Since it's hot and I am getting sweaty just going to the car, I am using more of a paste of baking soda and water. But when I first started I used about a tablespoon of baking soda to a cup of water. Adjust according to your needs. Shake it up before applying to your hair. I don't even wet my hair first, I just squirt enough on to almost saturate my roots and massage my head then rinse. Your hair will not feel squeaky clean after you do this. It will feel soft and smooth. Not at all what I was used to. I did feel self conscious about the smell, so I asked lots of people to give me a sniff. My loving and supportive husband said it didn't smell like anything at all, but I don't think he would tell me unless I smelled really offensive. I asked some moms at ballet what they thought. They had noticed my hair looked very different, very full. They couldn't smell anything either, not even the vinegar, which brings me to the next step.
After rinsing the baking soda concoction out of your hair, rinse with a solution of apple cider vinegar and water. I use one part ACV to five parts water. Theoretically this is to balance the pH of your hair after using such a strong base to clean it. Sometimes I don't use it, I don't notice a difference, but I will keep using it because I put a stick of cinnamon in the bottle that has my solution, and I like the smell in the shower. I'm a stickler for smells. Which reminds me....
If you like pretty smells too, feel free to add some essential oils to your mix. I like Tea Tree Oil when I feel really grimy, or lavender for a date or eucalyptus when I am stuffy.
I haven't started using the no 'poo method on my kids yet. I have tried to talk my teen into it since I really think it has made my hair less oily and I have stopped having breakouts. He's not convinced yet. Plus, he likes smelling like Axe Body Wash anyway. Go figure.
To find out more about us see my bio.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Shrimp Risotto
I've been stalking the Food Lion circulars lately waiting for pork tenderloin to go on sale. I recently discovered a slow cooker method of cooking the tenderloin that I love. I thought it made a good copy of Qdoba's pork, so I made a faux Mexican Gumbo with it. I'll give that recipe when the tenderloin finally goes on sale. But I see Food Lion has shrimp BOGO. I see shrimp risotto in my future. Here's my recipe.
Shrimp Risotto Ingredients
Peeled and De-veined shrimp. Raw is probably better, but cooked is ok too. On sale is always preferable!
Shrimp Stock, see instructions below. Don't have shrimp stock? Use watered down chicken stock.
Frozen Peas (petit pois if you want to be fancy)
One mild diced onion, or shallots if you are so inclined
Parmesan Cheese (not from the green can - fresh)
Fresh Mint and Fresh Basil if you have them
Arborio rice
Shrimp Stock
I make this the same evening as I make the risotto, then freeze for the next time. You can make it day of if you peel the shrimp far enough in advance.
Peel shrimp. Place all shells in a saucepan. Cover with water. Simmer on low until the water is pink. The longer you simmer, the more condensed it will be. Go at least two hours.
Shrimp Risotto Recipe
Sautee onions or shallots and salt in butter in a large frying pan. When translucent, add arborio rice to the pan. Yes it will be dry. I use about a cup of rice for four people. Since I am feeding five, one of whom is a teenage boy, and the other my hungry husband, I use two cups for us all. Stir the rice in the butter for just long enough to slightly toast the kernels. Just a few moments. Then start adding your stock one cup at a time. Salt as you go. Stir after each addition. You don't want to add more liquid until all the previous liquid has been absorbed. Continue this way until the rice is cooked through - about 30 minutes. When the rice is done, add your shrimp, turning the heat off on the pan. When the shrimp are pink, add the frozen peas, a chiffonade of mint and basil. When plating, top with fresh grated parmesan.
This is a decadent dish, made reasonably affordable when shrimp is BOGO, and using your own shrimp stock can make the flavor stretch with less shrimp per serving.
Shrimp Risotto Ingredients
Peeled and De-veined shrimp. Raw is probably better, but cooked is ok too. On sale is always preferable!
Shrimp Stock, see instructions below. Don't have shrimp stock? Use watered down chicken stock.
Frozen Peas (petit pois if you want to be fancy)
One mild diced onion, or shallots if you are so inclined
Parmesan Cheese (not from the green can - fresh)
Fresh Mint and Fresh Basil if you have them
Arborio rice
Shrimp Stock
I make this the same evening as I make the risotto, then freeze for the next time. You can make it day of if you peel the shrimp far enough in advance.
Peel shrimp. Place all shells in a saucepan. Cover with water. Simmer on low until the water is pink. The longer you simmer, the more condensed it will be. Go at least two hours.
Shrimp Risotto Recipe
Sautee onions or shallots and salt in butter in a large frying pan. When translucent, add arborio rice to the pan. Yes it will be dry. I use about a cup of rice for four people. Since I am feeding five, one of whom is a teenage boy, and the other my hungry husband, I use two cups for us all. Stir the rice in the butter for just long enough to slightly toast the kernels. Just a few moments. Then start adding your stock one cup at a time. Salt as you go. Stir after each addition. You don't want to add more liquid until all the previous liquid has been absorbed. Continue this way until the rice is cooked through - about 30 minutes. When the rice is done, add your shrimp, turning the heat off on the pan. When the shrimp are pink, add the frozen peas, a chiffonade of mint and basil. When plating, top with fresh grated parmesan.
This is a decadent dish, made reasonably affordable when shrimp is BOGO, and using your own shrimp stock can make the flavor stretch with less shrimp per serving.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
The Call of the Canyon
I don't use a boxed curriculum for literature. See this post about that. There is just so much good literature out there. And I feel taking items out of context in a work really does that work a disservice. I understand public schools have to do what they can to expose children to as much good literature as they can (within approved limits), but isn't that part of the luxury of homeschool? Reading whole books? Not just snippets here and there?
Add to that, I know my son's reading level, and although he's a solid reader, I don't think he's ready for Chaucer yet. I have looked at a few books and said a definite "No" for now. Like Aldus Huxley's A Brave New World. Great read, just not at our speed right now. Plus, ex-utero reproduction. Ick. Let's finish biology first!
So I just finished Zane Grey's The Call of the Canyon. I tell my husband that Zane Grey is what Louis L'Amour wanted to be when he grew up. I like Louis L'Amour, don't get me wrong, Zane is less cowboy, more wild west in my opinion.
I wasn't sure I wanted to share this book with my 14 year old son at first. I liked it ok, I suppose in the beginning. But it was told from a woman's perspective. I didn't think he'd understand that. Carly is a Manhattan socialite after World War I. Her fiancee, Glenn came back a changed man after his service in France. The story revolves around his change, his recovery in the wilds of Arizona, how she changed as a person after her visit to see him, and ultimately her evaluation of the worth of her life outside of work.
Once Carly was in Arizona, I really fell into the book and started strongly considering it for my son. It could have gotten very trite, very fast as an idle love story. But Carly is challenged to meet the tasks before her in Arizona, something she wasn't used to in her life back home of constant entertainment and materialism. "She could hate an obstacle, yet feel something of pride in holding her own against it." Oh, what this book says about us right now!!! So many teens are exactly where Carly was, lounging, pondering, entertaining, chatting. Carly didn't realize what a pointless existence she was living until she was faced with battling for survival. Until she saw that her greatest contribution as a woman might just be being a support and help-meet to a husband who risked all for her in battle.
Add to that, I know my son's reading level, and although he's a solid reader, I don't think he's ready for Chaucer yet. I have looked at a few books and said a definite "No" for now. Like Aldus Huxley's A Brave New World. Great read, just not at our speed right now. Plus, ex-utero reproduction. Ick. Let's finish biology first!
So I just finished Zane Grey's The Call of the Canyon. I tell my husband that Zane Grey is what Louis L'Amour wanted to be when he grew up. I like Louis L'Amour, don't get me wrong, Zane is less cowboy, more wild west in my opinion.
I wasn't sure I wanted to share this book with my 14 year old son at first. I liked it ok, I suppose in the beginning. But it was told from a woman's perspective. I didn't think he'd understand that. Carly is a Manhattan socialite after World War I. Her fiancee, Glenn came back a changed man after his service in France. The story revolves around his change, his recovery in the wilds of Arizona, how she changed as a person after her visit to see him, and ultimately her evaluation of the worth of her life outside of work.
Once Carly was in Arizona, I really fell into the book and started strongly considering it for my son. It could have gotten very trite, very fast as an idle love story. But Carly is challenged to meet the tasks before her in Arizona, something she wasn't used to in her life back home of constant entertainment and materialism. "She could hate an obstacle, yet feel something of pride in holding her own against it." Oh, what this book says about us right now!!! So many teens are exactly where Carly was, lounging, pondering, entertaining, chatting. Carly didn't realize what a pointless existence she was living until she was faced with battling for survival. Until she saw that her greatest contribution as a woman might just be being a support and help-meet to a husband who risked all for her in battle.
"She understood then why she would have wanted to surrender herself to a man made manly by toil; she understood how a woman instinctively leaned toward the protection of a man who had used his hands- who had strength and red blood and virility who could fight like the progenitors of the race. Any toil was splendid that served this end for any man."
Ok, yeah, that sounds very anti-feminist, more so than the rest of the book, but it does show how veterans who did fight for our country must feel when they come home to those who didn't or won't make the same sacrifices. Carly comes to see herself as someone for whom motherhood and marriage can be a powerful, meaningful tool for advancing the human race, specifically in America.
"On the one side greed, selfishness, materialism: on the other generosity, sacrifice, and idealism. Which of them builded for the future? She saw men as wolves, sharks, snakes, vermin and opposed to them men as lions and eagles. She saw women who did not inspire men to fare forth to seek, to imagine, to dream, to hope, to work, to fight. She began to have a glimmering of what a woman might be."
The vocabulary was spot-on. Perfect for his level. I'll add a vocab list by chapter next week. Email me if you need it sooner. I will give the caveat that Grey uses the phrase "make love" a few times, and it means flirt, not what the phrasing means now. Point that out to a young reader that may not get that in the reading.
Happy reading!
To learn more about us, visit my bio page.
Happy reading!
To learn more about us, visit my bio page.
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