I love summer. It is my favorite time of year. I love the heat, the sun, the gardens, the flowers, the picnics, the hot nights, listening to crickets and locus, the birds early in the morning and mowing the lawn. My kids love it too, except that even though they are homeschooled and you would think summer would not be any different for them, it is, and they are driving me crazy.
Yesterday, Joshua (age 1), rolled down the stairs in a five gallon bucket. Thank goodness he was not hurt, but it freaked everyone out.
Simeon tried to kill the fish.
Hannah is making an ever growing list of things she needs: ballerina shoes, more dolls, glue, clothes, a purse, a Barbie, some tea party dishes, along with a tea party, a new car seat, and a baby sister. She really NEEDS a baby sister, she informs me every morning. She also plans trips: one to Shiloah's house because she has to tell Makenzie about a movie, Grandma's house because she needs more paints, and then she needs to go see Sara, Stacy, Cindy and Judy all for separate things and they all live 40 miles to 1100 miles away. Sure, Hannah....
Isaac and Jesse fight like cats and dogs one minute and the next they are best friends. Normal for their age I suppose, but frustrating for me. Their friends moved away so they are kind of bored. So they occupy themselves by trying to get run over by riding their bikes in the street, over watering my herbs and tomatoes, and trying to get themselves blown up by fireworks. Good times.
On top of this, I found out I'm pregnant, after a huge ordeal over the weekend involving a ruptured ovarian cyst. Yes, #6 is on the way! We are excited, but more so feeling a little overwhelmed in a little tiny house with too many kids as it is. So we started house hunting again, only to find out that realties are telling people to NOT rent their houses and sell them instead, which is causing a shortage of housing in the city. Everything is frustrating. I can't tell if it is for valid reasons or if I'm overreacting from pregnancy hormones.
I don't want the summer over, but boy, I'm already starting to visualize those crisp September mornings and early school days.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
The Fish ER
Just before our neighbors moved, they asked if we would take their betta fish, Zen, for them, as they could not transport him. We accepted Zen and his 1 gallon aquarium. We placed him on a side table where all the kids could see him and watch him. Our little "science pet". He's to be fed 2-3 times a day and at 1 year old, he was big, colorful and had long gorgeous fins.
Today, I came out of the bathroom to find Simeon, age 3, had fed Zen a whole bottle of betta food. The last time this happened, he killed the fish. So this time I made a mad rush to the sink, ripped off his aquarium cover, pulled the filter out and positioned him over a strainer and started to poor. Except that the water splashed into the strainer, moved it, and Zen over shot the strainer and flopped himself down the drain into the garbage disposal.
Isaac came to the rescue and got him out of the disposal. I filled up another vase to put him in while I tried to clean out all the food. When Isaac dropped him into the vase, his beautiful fins were ripped and torn. I don't know if it would have been better to let him go to his watery death, or watch him now, sadly float around his aquarium.
So, in the essence of the emergency, I loaded all five kids up in the van and raced to the pet store, 9 blocks away. I ran in there like I really had some kind of horrible emergency, all to buy some more fish food and some "Wound Care", kind of like fish band-aids. Hope it doesn't seal up his gills. We race back home and drop 12 drops into his water. I then turned my attention to his tank. I couldn't wash the food out of the rocks, using two different kinds of strainers and a high powered hose. I gave up, loaded all the kids up again. Jesse said a prayer for Zen, and we were off again in search of new rocks and some water conditioner to help relieve any more stress he may be enduring.
Never found the rocks. Out of three stores, no one had fish nets. I did find the water conditioner, but that was it. So we raced home again and got his tank put back together and drugged him.
Thank goodness I did not have to perform CPR.
Tonight I left him on the counter out of Simeon's eyesight so he can't cause more harm. While I was making dinner he swam to the side of the tank and looked pitifully at me, as if to say, "Can you get me a drink of water?" as pathetically as possible.
If there was such a thing as a fish ICU...I think Zen would be there.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Freecycle Week
I love freecycle!. Everything is free and the purpose is to give things away instead of filling our landfills with so much stuff!
Here is what I freecycled this week! I'm clearing out my house for the move. Whatever didn't sell for the garage sale (and some extras too!) went to freecycle.
Here is what I freecycled this week! I'm clearing out my house for the move. Whatever didn't sell for the garage sale (and some extras too!) went to freecycle.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Yurts
Last year I posted about simple living about this time, but sadly, it's long gone with our other archives lost in Word Press. It went along the lines that we could save so much money if we lived in a tent down by the lake. Well, apparently, I have that "bug" again. Last month I thought it would be brilliant to sell off all our things, except for the bare necessities and get an RV, but Curtis nixed the idea, and even the kids did too, but I was able to talk them into it enough that they gleefully point out every RV we pass. Well, last week I found something even better. YURTS!
If I haven't mentioned it before we live in a tiny house. We have five kids crammed into two bedrooms, only one of which has a closet. We also have about 1300 sq. feet, but no garage and tiny everything: tiny closets, bathrooms, rooms, etc. We desperately need a bigger house, but I have made do and will continue to do so; big houses do not come readily available to renters. So, I googled "tiny home living" and found Yurts. Originally they are tents the Mongolians used, but environmentalist have found a way to make them here. They are pretty efficient, solar powered, don't need much plumbing, and you get to live in the great outdoors and enjoy all the benefits of listening to crickets chirp, the wind blow and wolves howl. Sounds perfect. Live off the land. Enjoy simple living.
Curtis nixed that too. I don't know why!
www.yurtworks.com
Check them out in the gallery. What do you think?
If I haven't mentioned it before we live in a tiny house. We have five kids crammed into two bedrooms, only one of which has a closet. We also have about 1300 sq. feet, but no garage and tiny everything: tiny closets, bathrooms, rooms, etc. We desperately need a bigger house, but I have made do and will continue to do so; big houses do not come readily available to renters. So, I googled "tiny home living" and found Yurts. Originally they are tents the Mongolians used, but environmentalist have found a way to make them here. They are pretty efficient, solar powered, don't need much plumbing, and you get to live in the great outdoors and enjoy all the benefits of listening to crickets chirp, the wind blow and wolves howl. Sounds perfect. Live off the land. Enjoy simple living.
Curtis nixed that too. I don't know why!
www.yurtworks.com
Check them out in the gallery. What do you think?
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Keep them quiet, please!
A little thunder started rolling tonight soon after putting the kids to bed. Madison, age 4, was quite unnerved by it and came running down to me. I explained that there was nothing to be afraid of, that it was only angels playing football. She wasn't comforted by this, but went off to bed anyway.
A few minutes later I heard her in the bedroom telling Cailynn in her tiny soft voice, "Cailynn, can you tell those angels to be quiet?"
Still laughing over it! ;)
Friday, June 15, 2007
Stalk You Later
I know I probably talk about them way too much. My other kids, the furry ones, my cats. Missy is just too snooty to be bothered with us, so she hides out most days in my bedroom. Nemo on the other hand, just had his first birthday. He's been declawed because we want him to be an indoor cat, but he has other thoughts in mind.
We have about 6 cats that run around the neighborhood and have decided to use underneath my porch as their litter box. GRRR!!! That's so nasty! But Nemo is loving it, so whenever the door is open for 1.2 seconds he makes a run for it. One night after a storm, I was standing on the back porch and left the door open and out of the corner of my eye I saw a streak of something, but when I turned to look it was gone. Well, I went back inside to clean the kitchen. About two hours later, I was at the desk, doing nothing important and we hear a crash on the porch. It's Nemo! And another cat was taking off across the street. Nemo ran inside like he was in a panic. I don't know if they got into a fight or not, but I thought for sure he was done going outside.
Fast forward to Wednesday. It was rainy and mild, but I opened the windows to listen to the rain and get some fresh air. Nemo climbed into the open window to just observe his outdoor kingdom. And then there was an intruder. McSquizzy, the Squirrel. We have a tree that is insanely close to the house, so we thought it would be a good idea to put up a bird feeder. The squirrels must have found it. Unsuspectingly, the squirrel popped out from around tree, and Nemo was too scared to move, so they sat there, eye to eye, the squirrel daring Nemo to do something. Nemo had no idea what was going on, much less what the other creature was. Another cat? A rat? Mouse?
Eventually, the squirrel ran off and Nemo jumped out of the window. I've not seen him return. So yesterday Nemo made another break for the great outdoors. Maybe he was looking for his long lost love. No one made an effort to go get him, he's done it so many times now. About an hour later we here a thump and here's Nemo, body slamming himself against the door to get inside. Wonder if he found that squirrel?
A Pregnant Pause
Tonight I started thinking about pregnancy and what makes it so fascinating and miserable all at the same time. So, I decided to make a list of woes and triumphs. Feel free to add.
First Trimester: I have been blessed to never have much morning sickness during this period, and I've only ever barfed twice in the 8 years of child bearing I've experienced. But, I did have horrible fatigue from time to time. One day I admitted to Curtis I had spent 14 hours that day in sleep. I get impatient during this period. I just want that first 13 weeks to pass quickly so we can get onto the good stuff. Instead, I spend it waiting to get big enough to wear maternity clothes, but am big enough that clothes are getting snug, don't look right, and generally, this starts the trend of frumpiness for the next 6 months. Half the time I want to rip my clothes off because they are too small, the other half of the time I'm sweltering because I've donned clothes that have entirely too much fabric about them.
Second Trimester: I start eating my weight in food. And, it's nothing good. Hoho's, coke, chocolate, cookies. Normal, healthy food is not helpful. I'll eat it, wait (like they tell you to), and then find myself raiding the cabinets for something more substantial...like hoho's, coke, cookies or chocolate. Now I finally have a belly that starts to show something (not entirely because of baby, but because of all the food I've eaten), and I think I look pretty good. Until I look in the mirror naked and see old purple stretch marks. And the double chin appearing. And the fact that I'm losing site of my toes. Night time acrobatic stunts are fun to watch though, as the baby jumps around and stretches.
*Snicker* When I in the second trimester with Hannah, I had read that the baby could see light now, so one night in bed we decided to try this theory out. I bared my belly. Hannah was awake and squirming around in there. Curtis pulls out the flashlight and sticks up against the side of my belly. My entire belly shifted to the side as if she was trying to get away. I wonder if the bright lights bothered her when she was born?
Third Trimester: Clothes now look ridiculous. The shirts are too short, the pants too short and tight, the underwear roll down under the belly, or ride up over it. Sorry, Mr./Ms. Maternity Designer, but we don't all have perfectly round, airbrushed bellies we want to show off. Food: I made up for the lack of it now in the 2nd Trimester. Hungry, but too miserable to eat. Hot. Hot at night, hot in the day, hot in the car. Mercy be on the poor women that are pregnant through summers. Moods: grouchy, angry, unsatisfied, weepy. Um... a good visual example might be a volcano. I've not seen my thighs in weeks, so I have no idea what the leg hair looks like. Oh, and on a whim, we think swimming would be a good idea, relieve some pressure, help with the horrendous heat (even though it might be November). You have to have a special suit for this though, and Mumu's don't count. I squeeze into a maternity swimming suit that gives no support the voluptuous girls upstairs and throw caution to the wind as I bravely step out into the public pool area. One time, a woman actually told me in disgust, that pregnant women should not be allowed in public in swimming suits. If I hadn't been so miserable, I might have actually said something...instead, I trounced around the pool in all my big, pregnant glory just for her pleasure. I hope she got a good look. Swimming actually feels really good. It relieves pressure on the hips, actually, in places you had no idea were under pressure. Sleep is somewhat okay at this point, if you can handle the nightly bathroom trips and have enough pillows and have kicked your husband out of bed because there is just not enough room for me, myself, and my womb. I'm tired, but there is not rest for the weary with 1-4 other children running around the house.
The last month: Nesting. Everything must be clean. Just before Simeon (#4) was born, I cleaned the fridge, the floor, the cabinets, organized the pantry, alphabetized all my canned goods. It was the best I had ever seen. Walking. Desperate to get the baby out I start walking, climbing stairs, contemplate jumping on trampolines and beds. There is no room left on my lap to hold other kids. I have a constant stain down the front of my belly. It does however make a good shelf for plates, drinks, remotes, and books. Clothes are ready, bags are packed, carseat is installed. Now we just wait. And this, my friend, is the pregnant pause. That heavy pause you have till your life changes forever. Till you meet this baby. While you may know the sex, you don't know really know what color of hair or eyes it will have. You are anxious. You want to see the baby, hold it, love on it and smell it. You NEED this baby. So, take a pause at this point. It maybe your first, your last or somewhere in between time to be this way again. Appreciate it, and all you have gone through to get to this point.
First Trimester: I have been blessed to never have much morning sickness during this period, and I've only ever barfed twice in the 8 years of child bearing I've experienced. But, I did have horrible fatigue from time to time. One day I admitted to Curtis I had spent 14 hours that day in sleep. I get impatient during this period. I just want that first 13 weeks to pass quickly so we can get onto the good stuff. Instead, I spend it waiting to get big enough to wear maternity clothes, but am big enough that clothes are getting snug, don't look right, and generally, this starts the trend of frumpiness for the next 6 months. Half the time I want to rip my clothes off because they are too small, the other half of the time I'm sweltering because I've donned clothes that have entirely too much fabric about them.
Second Trimester: I start eating my weight in food. And, it's nothing good. Hoho's, coke, chocolate, cookies. Normal, healthy food is not helpful. I'll eat it, wait (like they tell you to), and then find myself raiding the cabinets for something more substantial...like hoho's, coke, cookies or chocolate. Now I finally have a belly that starts to show something (not entirely because of baby, but because of all the food I've eaten), and I think I look pretty good. Until I look in the mirror naked and see old purple stretch marks. And the double chin appearing. And the fact that I'm losing site of my toes. Night time acrobatic stunts are fun to watch though, as the baby jumps around and stretches.
*Snicker* When I in the second trimester with Hannah, I had read that the baby could see light now, so one night in bed we decided to try this theory out. I bared my belly. Hannah was awake and squirming around in there. Curtis pulls out the flashlight and sticks up against the side of my belly. My entire belly shifted to the side as if she was trying to get away. I wonder if the bright lights bothered her when she was born?
Third Trimester: Clothes now look ridiculous. The shirts are too short, the pants too short and tight, the underwear roll down under the belly, or ride up over it. Sorry, Mr./Ms. Maternity Designer, but we don't all have perfectly round, airbrushed bellies we want to show off. Food: I made up for the lack of it now in the 2nd Trimester. Hungry, but too miserable to eat. Hot. Hot at night, hot in the day, hot in the car. Mercy be on the poor women that are pregnant through summers. Moods: grouchy, angry, unsatisfied, weepy. Um... a good visual example might be a volcano. I've not seen my thighs in weeks, so I have no idea what the leg hair looks like. Oh, and on a whim, we think swimming would be a good idea, relieve some pressure, help with the horrendous heat (even though it might be November). You have to have a special suit for this though, and Mumu's don't count. I squeeze into a maternity swimming suit that gives no support the voluptuous girls upstairs and throw caution to the wind as I bravely step out into the public pool area. One time, a woman actually told me in disgust, that pregnant women should not be allowed in public in swimming suits. If I hadn't been so miserable, I might have actually said something...instead, I trounced around the pool in all my big, pregnant glory just for her pleasure. I hope she got a good look. Swimming actually feels really good. It relieves pressure on the hips, actually, in places you had no idea were under pressure. Sleep is somewhat okay at this point, if you can handle the nightly bathroom trips and have enough pillows and have kicked your husband out of bed because there is just not enough room for me, myself, and my womb. I'm tired, but there is not rest for the weary with 1-4 other children running around the house.
The last month: Nesting. Everything must be clean. Just before Simeon (#4) was born, I cleaned the fridge, the floor, the cabinets, organized the pantry, alphabetized all my canned goods. It was the best I had ever seen. Walking. Desperate to get the baby out I start walking, climbing stairs, contemplate jumping on trampolines and beds. There is no room left on my lap to hold other kids. I have a constant stain down the front of my belly. It does however make a good shelf for plates, drinks, remotes, and books. Clothes are ready, bags are packed, carseat is installed. Now we just wait. And this, my friend, is the pregnant pause. That heavy pause you have till your life changes forever. Till you meet this baby. While you may know the sex, you don't know really know what color of hair or eyes it will have. You are anxious. You want to see the baby, hold it, love on it and smell it. You NEED this baby. So, take a pause at this point. It maybe your first, your last or somewhere in between time to be this way again. Appreciate it, and all you have gone through to get to this point.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
ARRG, Matey!
Three days ago it started raining. Bad raining! It started at lunch time. My friend Stacy and I got back from our treasure hunt (inactive Relief Society sisters) and decided to go to McDonald's for lunch, with all the kids and Curtis. When we arrived, it was just starting to rain. As we finished up our lunch it was down pouring. Complete with wind, dark heavy clouds, you couldn't see a quarter of a mile away. We decided to wait it out in the restaurant.
I look over at my kids, that don't seem to be concerned about the weather at all, and under the table I see Jesse's shorts. They were cut off jeans, but had almost foot long threads hanging off of them! He looked like he'd been washed in with the rain off of some shipwrecked island!!! His flip flops had been stepped on a few times, and they were just cheap dollar store ones, so as he gets up to dump his trash, one of the flip flops falls apart. His hair was all shaggy too, since I had not cut it in about three months. I looked at the other kids and none of them looked "this" bad. How did he slip past my radar?
It was time for us to go and the rain had finally let up some, but we all got pretty soaked by the time we got in the van.
"Mommy? Is it going to rain for 79 days straight?"
"No."
"Will we have to build a boat?"
"No, guys. It's not going to be that bad."
"Are we going to get a tornado?"
"No. It's just rain."
"Mommy? Will it rain for just 40 days?"
"NO! Guys, we'll be fine!"
"Well, will it rain for 40 nights then?"
I give up.
I almost had to eat those words though, because as we drove into town, all the streets were flooded, worse than I had ever seen before. Today, three days later, we were issued a flood statement that they expected the Platte river to overflow tonight. It was at 5.7 feet this morning. 6.0 feet is it's max capacity, and they expected it to be at 6.2 feet tonight.
This year has been crazy as far as weather. 6 blizzards for 6 weeks in a row this winter. 2 tornadoes that have hit close to town, one was IN town, this spring, and now it's flooding. We've had 4 hot days this year so far, and only two of them were above 90. And yet, the pool is open and I see hoards of people over there every day swimming in 73 degree weather.
Well, at least we have the costumes ready. We'll play the part of shipwrecked or pirate...just direct us which way you want.
I look over at my kids, that don't seem to be concerned about the weather at all, and under the table I see Jesse's shorts. They were cut off jeans, but had almost foot long threads hanging off of them! He looked like he'd been washed in with the rain off of some shipwrecked island!!! His flip flops had been stepped on a few times, and they were just cheap dollar store ones, so as he gets up to dump his trash, one of the flip flops falls apart. His hair was all shaggy too, since I had not cut it in about three months. I looked at the other kids and none of them looked "this" bad. How did he slip past my radar?
It was time for us to go and the rain had finally let up some, but we all got pretty soaked by the time we got in the van.
"Mommy? Is it going to rain for 79 days straight?"
"No."
"Will we have to build a boat?"
"No, guys. It's not going to be that bad."
"Are we going to get a tornado?"
"No. It's just rain."
"Mommy? Will it rain for just 40 days?"
"NO! Guys, we'll be fine!"
"Well, will it rain for 40 nights then?"
I give up.
I almost had to eat those words though, because as we drove into town, all the streets were flooded, worse than I had ever seen before. Today, three days later, we were issued a flood statement that they expected the Platte river to overflow tonight. It was at 5.7 feet this morning. 6.0 feet is it's max capacity, and they expected it to be at 6.2 feet tonight.
This year has been crazy as far as weather. 6 blizzards for 6 weeks in a row this winter. 2 tornadoes that have hit close to town, one was IN town, this spring, and now it's flooding. We've had 4 hot days this year so far, and only two of them were above 90. And yet, the pool is open and I see hoards of people over there every day swimming in 73 degree weather.
Well, at least we have the costumes ready. We'll play the part of shipwrecked or pirate...just direct us which way you want.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
The Zapper a.k.a. Bomb in a Shoe Box
*I do hope this does not offend anyone that may or may be thinking of trying the Zapper.*
About a month ago I got a book off of Amazon called "The Cure for all Diseases". It was written by Dr. Hulda Clark. She's not an actual medical doctor form what I've gathered. I don't know where her info comes from because, to be honest, a lot of her "theories" sound like an overly picky and paranoid hermit. Don't eat certain foods, don't keep pets, etc. I can understand can be unhealthy for you, and while I would love to be parasite free, I really don't think it is entirely possible to be completely rid of them.
But, Dr. Clark has a way to make sure you get rid of all the parasite. First you have to test yourself. She has some kind of machine you use that tells you what kind of parasites you have and even cancer. (Claims have been made against her as to the validity of these tests. Some say the people she "cured" of cancer never had it in the first place, while those with a confirmed diagnosis of cancer were never cured). What I did like about her book was that for every disease out there, she listed what parasite can be the cause of the ailment. To get rid of these things you need to use a herbal cleanse, and her invention: The Zapper.
Here's what you're gonna do: You're going to go down to Radio Shack and ask for an assortment of wires, clips, copper handles and a 9V battery. All this should cost you around 25.00. Then you need a shoe box. You assemble the bomb...I mean Zapper...according to her elaborate blueprints. Once it's assembled, it should have the 9V battery hooked up with wires coming off it inside the box, then you have holes in the box which the wires are fed through. Then you have the copper handles attached to the wires, so that's where you get the electrical current. Now you're going to take some wet paper towels...stay with me....and wrap them around the handles.
Hold one handle in one hand, and let the other one lay innocently on the counter. Now take your other hand and quickly using the palm of your hand tap the other handle several times in rapid succession for 7 minutes. Rest, then do it again. Rest, and do it one more time. You should be cured! Oh, it doesn't kill any intestinal parasites and you may be fatigued.
If I wasn't so desperate and tempted to be trying this, I would be rolling my eyes. This sounds too far out there. I tried to envision standing at my counter "de-bugging" myself every night. This just sounds too far fetched for me.
We have a Radio Shack in town (not much else, but that we have) and don't you know I think about collecting my ingredients for a bomb in a shoe box every day I pass it?
About a month ago I got a book off of Amazon called "The Cure for all Diseases". It was written by Dr. Hulda Clark. She's not an actual medical doctor form what I've gathered. I don't know where her info comes from because, to be honest, a lot of her "theories" sound like an overly picky and paranoid hermit. Don't eat certain foods, don't keep pets, etc. I can understand can be unhealthy for you, and while I would love to be parasite free, I really don't think it is entirely possible to be completely rid of them.
But, Dr. Clark has a way to make sure you get rid of all the parasite. First you have to test yourself. She has some kind of machine you use that tells you what kind of parasites you have and even cancer. (Claims have been made against her as to the validity of these tests. Some say the people she "cured" of cancer never had it in the first place, while those with a confirmed diagnosis of cancer were never cured). What I did like about her book was that for every disease out there, she listed what parasite can be the cause of the ailment. To get rid of these things you need to use a herbal cleanse, and her invention: The Zapper.
Here's what you're gonna do: You're going to go down to Radio Shack and ask for an assortment of wires, clips, copper handles and a 9V battery. All this should cost you around 25.00. Then you need a shoe box. You assemble the bomb...I mean Zapper...according to her elaborate blueprints. Once it's assembled, it should have the 9V battery hooked up with wires coming off it inside the box, then you have holes in the box which the wires are fed through. Then you have the copper handles attached to the wires, so that's where you get the electrical current. Now you're going to take some wet paper towels...stay with me....and wrap them around the handles.
Hold one handle in one hand, and let the other one lay innocently on the counter. Now take your other hand and quickly using the palm of your hand tap the other handle several times in rapid succession for 7 minutes. Rest, then do it again. Rest, and do it one more time. You should be cured! Oh, it doesn't kill any intestinal parasites and you may be fatigued.
If I wasn't so desperate and tempted to be trying this, I would be rolling my eyes. This sounds too far out there. I tried to envision standing at my counter "de-bugging" myself every night. This just sounds too far fetched for me.
We have a Radio Shack in town (not much else, but that we have) and don't you know I think about collecting my ingredients for a bomb in a shoe box every day I pass it?
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Juice Fast ----or Not
I've been itching all over my body(like hives) chronically for almost two years. It makes me feel like an insane person sometimes from the itch. Some days are better than others, but I go through life wondering if it is going to be a good day or a bad day.
When I was pregnant with Lindsay I had PUPPPS (pregnancy related itching) and Gestational Diabetes which seemed to go hand in hand with the PUPPPs. I'm SICK of itching! It is a daily misery.
For almost the same amount of time, I have tried herbs, salves, homeopathic remedies, medicinal drugs (like Atarax, diflucan, Benedryl), all kinds of remedies. Except one........the zapper! But, I won't go there, not yet. Dawn will truly have to twist my arm to try the zapper. I'll let Dawn elaborate on that one now that I let the cat out of the bag....hehehe!
Anyway, in desparation I hauled all seven kids out of the house on Monday to find a book to help me in this fight with candidiasis. I found one! It is called "Complete Candida Yeast Guidebook" by Jeanne Marie Martin.
So, I sat in the kids section at Barnes and Noble, and amongst the fighting over the train set, begging for books, and Meredith hauling all the stuffed toys from the shelf to the table, I was able to read some bits and pieces. I read that she fasted 12-24 days a year and does 2-4 intestinal cleanses. (I just finished a three month intestinal cleanse in May, but I thought I need to do one again).
So, fasting----that's what I need to do! Except that I'm nursing full time still. Hmmmm, I can't fast fast...but I can juice fast! I read all kinds of good stuff about juice fasting. So, I got a book on juicing, a juicer and all kinds of fruits and vegetables to juice. I was ready.
Last night's "dinner" was delicious! I had a strawberry/mango and banana juice drink and lots of water.
Breakfast was water. I was hanging in there as I usually skip breakfast.
Lunch---lunch was a little rougher. I felt like I was making my way through a foggy wilderness as I went to the juicer and made a tomato and mango juice. It was nasty!!! I gulped it down knowing that I am trying to rid my body of candidiasis. "No more itching" repeating in my head.
Around three in the afternoon, I called my husband at work and tried to get "permission" to eat. He didn't care either way so I didn't feel guilty for eating 10 Chessman cookies! ahhhh! Heaven...
Dinner---Water...I didn't want to suffer through another juice. I was trying to be good on this "fast".
I went into town to pick up some things and since it had been 24 hours since my last "meal" I went to an Italian restaurant. I ate: Cheesy lasagne, head lettuce salad, meatballs, mini bagett, butter---a candidasis nightmare on a platter! But, it was good... oh so good!
There has to be an easier way?! Why do I do such extreme things sometimes? I hope to answer one of these questions soon!
When I was pregnant with Lindsay I had PUPPPS (pregnancy related itching) and Gestational Diabetes which seemed to go hand in hand with the PUPPPs. I'm SICK of itching! It is a daily misery.
For almost the same amount of time, I have tried herbs, salves, homeopathic remedies, medicinal drugs (like Atarax, diflucan, Benedryl), all kinds of remedies. Except one........the zapper! But, I won't go there, not yet. Dawn will truly have to twist my arm to try the zapper. I'll let Dawn elaborate on that one now that I let the cat out of the bag....hehehe!
Anyway, in desparation I hauled all seven kids out of the house on Monday to find a book to help me in this fight with candidiasis. I found one! It is called "Complete Candida Yeast Guidebook" by Jeanne Marie Martin.
So, I sat in the kids section at Barnes and Noble, and amongst the fighting over the train set, begging for books, and Meredith hauling all the stuffed toys from the shelf to the table, I was able to read some bits and pieces. I read that she fasted 12-24 days a year and does 2-4 intestinal cleanses. (I just finished a three month intestinal cleanse in May, but I thought I need to do one again).
So, fasting----that's what I need to do! Except that I'm nursing full time still. Hmmmm, I can't fast fast...but I can juice fast! I read all kinds of good stuff about juice fasting. So, I got a book on juicing, a juicer and all kinds of fruits and vegetables to juice. I was ready.
Last night's "dinner" was delicious! I had a strawberry/mango and banana juice drink and lots of water.
Breakfast was water. I was hanging in there as I usually skip breakfast.
Lunch---lunch was a little rougher. I felt like I was making my way through a foggy wilderness as I went to the juicer and made a tomato and mango juice. It was nasty!!! I gulped it down knowing that I am trying to rid my body of candidiasis. "No more itching" repeating in my head.
Around three in the afternoon, I called my husband at work and tried to get "permission" to eat. He didn't care either way so I didn't feel guilty for eating 10 Chessman cookies! ahhhh! Heaven...
Dinner---Water...I didn't want to suffer through another juice. I was trying to be good on this "fast".
I went into town to pick up some things and since it had been 24 hours since my last "meal" I went to an Italian restaurant. I ate: Cheesy lasagne, head lettuce salad, meatballs, mini bagett, butter---a candidasis nightmare on a platter! But, it was good... oh so good!
There has to be an easier way?! Why do I do such extreme things sometimes? I hope to answer one of these questions soon!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
My week
I have been wanting to write about this stuff all week but have yet to figure out how to say it. Even though this is our blog and we are pretty much free to say anything we want, I still worry about offending someone. So, fair warning. I hope to say what I'm concerned about/experiencing is not offensive, but I would really welcome some comments/advice/2 cents worth on this subject. It is weighing heavily on my heart.
Last week my best friend from high school convinced me to open an account on My Space. I've heard nothing but negative things about it and so for years I have stayed far away from it, and I never even delved into it's scary depths to even look up an old friend. Plus, I had also heard that employers look at it, and it's not as though I'm looking for a job or that I would ever post something up there that would be questionable or incriminating, but I didn't want that to be an issue. Even though I had all these fears, I opened an account on there and set it to private. Then, she went looking for people and found some. It was kind of interesting to read about some of the old friend/boyfriends, but really, I feel I have kept in contact with those that were really close to me, and honestly, that's all I really care to do. Curiosity got the best of me, and so I also looked up some people.
I found my ex-husband. The only reason I ever kept up with him in the past was to see where he was living so that I did not go to the same place. We were both Air Force Reserves for awhile, so for 7 years I lived my life in fear on deployments that I would run into him. I never did. The creepy thing is that he seems to not have moved forward in life. He is now remarried, but I noticed many common trends. He keeps repeating things, although some things are changed, but for the most part and what I could gather off of his wife's and his site is that they are very much like the life I had lived with him. I hope his wife is happy and that he is treating her better than he did me. It was still really creepy to run across though. And, for my sanity, I know what state he's living in so I know that is off the list for vacation places.
While I looked him up and a few other friends from high school, I got offended several times by what I came across. Skulls, goth-like trends, satanic things, pornographic things, horrible language. It was offensive things, but really, all I could think about was what are these people doing in their lives to get to this point? Are they happy? Really, deep down, I think they would think that what they are doing is wrong, but then it's justified by what they have "gone through" or things that have happened to them. I know that the world is not getting any better and there are some really evil things out there that people get involved in, we are not immune to it. It creeps into our houses through radios, tv's, internet, sometimes even by the physical people that walk through our door. What has happened to us, as a human race? Where did our religion and faith go? Where did common decency go? Some of you might say I'm being oversensitive. I might be, but I know exactly how I felt viewing some of those sites and I can tell you, it wasn't a pleasant feeling.
I realize we can't all live in a perfect world. Sometimes I really do think of my home as my pretty pink bubble. I don't want to think about the murders that happened in the next town over, or that there are drug dealers living two houses away or that one of the town cops shoots household pets for fun. You can't get away from it anywhere you go...even out here in rural Nebraska. I think that what weighs on me a lot more is that my children will be exposed to these things. I read an article yesterday that the number of sexually aggressive children has risen over the past decade four-fold. Most of them are reenacting something they saw on a movie or in a porno that parents say the children unknowingly watched. I just want to scream: WHERE WERE THEIR PARENTS?!?! When I look at my kids, I see them as children; innocent, sweet, impressionable people. They are small in stature, so I automatically feel the need to physically protect them. When the tornado sirens go off here, I think that is what starts me panicking: I don't have enough arms or strength to protect everyone of them or hold all of them in my arms to protect them from the storm. When I look at the media, I feel a need to protect them from that too. My mom commented that since I homeschool them, they are missing out socially on some things. Really? Because is it really necessary for them to be involved with kids who's parents do drugs or have been abused in some way and are now taking their frustrations out on my children? Is it necessary that my kids learn to disrespect me by calling me names, talking back or physically abusing me? Is it good for them to learn about sex in an institutional manner, and then come home and ask me specifics about what my husband and I do in the bedroom? What I just listed has happened to my sister, to me, to friends and their children.
Would you feed your newborn baby steak and potatoes? No, you have to wait for them to mature enough to eat it. They need teeth, digestive enzymes and a matured digestive system to handle that. Just as I would not feed my newborn steak because he is not mature enough, I do not feel my children are mature enough to have to be subjected to these worldly tragedies. In time, I know they will be exposed to it. I just don't agree that an 8 year old needs it right now.
So this brings me to my next thought. What are we teaching our children while we shelter them from the world?
At church today we talked about provident living (thriftiness). One day several weeks ago I was checking out at the grocery store and the cashier remarked on what I was buying. It was milk, butter, veggies and some meat for about 3 days of meals until I could get to Walmart an hour away to stock up on groceries. We got to talking about what people buy now. She said she was appalled at how many girls came in, on food stamps, that bought so much processed food simply because they don't know how to cook. Later in the month they complain they don't get enough money on food stamps to cover them the whole month. How are we teaching our children to budget money, stay away from credit cards, save for the future, invest for the future, and run a household?
Sadly, many of these things are becoming the norm. It's normal to have had experienced some kind of abuse in your life. It's normal to live on a diet of fast food and processed food. It's normal for kids to get bullied.."builds character" . It's normal to have more debt than income. Some things I've noticed is that more movies are showing more nudity, harsher language and contain graphic images of violence. I'm hard pressed to find adult movies (by that I mean some that are comedies/dramas that kids aren't interested in watching) that are not rated R. I'm seeing more responsibility of rearing children pushed off on day care providers and teachers. I'm seeing more opportunities for people to NOT have to support themselves financially. I'm seeing a trend towards bringing up the worst of everything, rather than seeing the positive. Lastly, we are losing patriots for our country; many do not support our president.
I don't have any magic answers to all this and sorry if it sounds like I'm judging. I'd love to be a crusader and fight for all that is good and holy. I'm not saying I want to go live in a hole somewhere, but there are days when I really think that might be a good idea. I really worry about what life will be like in 20 years. For better or worse, we're raising the kids that will be the adults of that generation. How are we doing?
Last week my best friend from high school convinced me to open an account on My Space. I've heard nothing but negative things about it and so for years I have stayed far away from it, and I never even delved into it's scary depths to even look up an old friend. Plus, I had also heard that employers look at it, and it's not as though I'm looking for a job or that I would ever post something up there that would be questionable or incriminating, but I didn't want that to be an issue. Even though I had all these fears, I opened an account on there and set it to private. Then, she went looking for people and found some. It was kind of interesting to read about some of the old friend/boyfriends, but really, I feel I have kept in contact with those that were really close to me, and honestly, that's all I really care to do. Curiosity got the best of me, and so I also looked up some people.
I found my ex-husband. The only reason I ever kept up with him in the past was to see where he was living so that I did not go to the same place. We were both Air Force Reserves for awhile, so for 7 years I lived my life in fear on deployments that I would run into him. I never did. The creepy thing is that he seems to not have moved forward in life. He is now remarried, but I noticed many common trends. He keeps repeating things, although some things are changed, but for the most part and what I could gather off of his wife's and his site is that they are very much like the life I had lived with him. I hope his wife is happy and that he is treating her better than he did me. It was still really creepy to run across though. And, for my sanity, I know what state he's living in so I know that is off the list for vacation places.
While I looked him up and a few other friends from high school, I got offended several times by what I came across. Skulls, goth-like trends, satanic things, pornographic things, horrible language. It was offensive things, but really, all I could think about was what are these people doing in their lives to get to this point? Are they happy? Really, deep down, I think they would think that what they are doing is wrong, but then it's justified by what they have "gone through" or things that have happened to them. I know that the world is not getting any better and there are some really evil things out there that people get involved in, we are not immune to it. It creeps into our houses through radios, tv's, internet, sometimes even by the physical people that walk through our door. What has happened to us, as a human race? Where did our religion and faith go? Where did common decency go? Some of you might say I'm being oversensitive. I might be, but I know exactly how I felt viewing some of those sites and I can tell you, it wasn't a pleasant feeling.
I realize we can't all live in a perfect world. Sometimes I really do think of my home as my pretty pink bubble. I don't want to think about the murders that happened in the next town over, or that there are drug dealers living two houses away or that one of the town cops shoots household pets for fun. You can't get away from it anywhere you go...even out here in rural Nebraska. I think that what weighs on me a lot more is that my children will be exposed to these things. I read an article yesterday that the number of sexually aggressive children has risen over the past decade four-fold. Most of them are reenacting something they saw on a movie or in a porno that parents say the children unknowingly watched. I just want to scream: WHERE WERE THEIR PARENTS?!?! When I look at my kids, I see them as children; innocent, sweet, impressionable people. They are small in stature, so I automatically feel the need to physically protect them. When the tornado sirens go off here, I think that is what starts me panicking: I don't have enough arms or strength to protect everyone of them or hold all of them in my arms to protect them from the storm. When I look at the media, I feel a need to protect them from that too. My mom commented that since I homeschool them, they are missing out socially on some things. Really? Because is it really necessary for them to be involved with kids who's parents do drugs or have been abused in some way and are now taking their frustrations out on my children? Is it necessary that my kids learn to disrespect me by calling me names, talking back or physically abusing me? Is it good for them to learn about sex in an institutional manner, and then come home and ask me specifics about what my husband and I do in the bedroom? What I just listed has happened to my sister, to me, to friends and their children.
Would you feed your newborn baby steak and potatoes? No, you have to wait for them to mature enough to eat it. They need teeth, digestive enzymes and a matured digestive system to handle that. Just as I would not feed my newborn steak because he is not mature enough, I do not feel my children are mature enough to have to be subjected to these worldly tragedies. In time, I know they will be exposed to it. I just don't agree that an 8 year old needs it right now.
So this brings me to my next thought. What are we teaching our children while we shelter them from the world?
At church today we talked about provident living (thriftiness). One day several weeks ago I was checking out at the grocery store and the cashier remarked on what I was buying. It was milk, butter, veggies and some meat for about 3 days of meals until I could get to Walmart an hour away to stock up on groceries. We got to talking about what people buy now. She said she was appalled at how many girls came in, on food stamps, that bought so much processed food simply because they don't know how to cook. Later in the month they complain they don't get enough money on food stamps to cover them the whole month. How are we teaching our children to budget money, stay away from credit cards, save for the future, invest for the future, and run a household?
Sadly, many of these things are becoming the norm. It's normal to have had experienced some kind of abuse in your life. It's normal to live on a diet of fast food and processed food. It's normal for kids to get bullied.."builds character" . It's normal to have more debt than income. Some things I've noticed is that more movies are showing more nudity, harsher language and contain graphic images of violence. I'm hard pressed to find adult movies (by that I mean some that are comedies/dramas that kids aren't interested in watching) that are not rated R. I'm seeing more responsibility of rearing children pushed off on day care providers and teachers. I'm seeing more opportunities for people to NOT have to support themselves financially. I'm seeing a trend towards bringing up the worst of everything, rather than seeing the positive. Lastly, we are losing patriots for our country; many do not support our president.
I don't have any magic answers to all this and sorry if it sounds like I'm judging. I'd love to be a crusader and fight for all that is good and holy. I'm not saying I want to go live in a hole somewhere, but there are days when I really think that might be a good idea. I really worry about what life will be like in 20 years. For better or worse, we're raising the kids that will be the adults of that generation. How are we doing?
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Mysterious Happenings
My husband came complaining to me this morning that his new bath poof is falling apart. We've also noticed other unexplained and unconfessed happenings around the house such as: markings on the wall, a stray dirty diaper or two found in the laundry hamper, an important piece of paper colored on or torn up, etc, etc.
I just smile and think that once all the kids are on their own and out of the house that I will discover the real truth behind these happenings, either with a confession while joking around, or that they quit happening.
Either Ben is a great abstract (translation scribble scrabble) artist or we have a two year old on the loose with a crayon!
I just smile and think that once all the kids are on their own and out of the house that I will discover the real truth behind these happenings, either with a confession while joking around, or that they quit happening.
Either Ben is a great abstract (translation scribble scrabble) artist or we have a two year old on the loose with a crayon!
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Jumble of Thoughts
I got sick this week and have officially lost my voice. I guess since I can't talk to anyone, I need to write to vent about some stuff. So, here is a jumble of thoughts that have occurred this week.
The weather: I HATE IT!! It is now June, the pool is open, so essentially we should be able to use it. Today it was 53 (actually 48 now). You cannot swim in an outdoor pool in this weather! We have had one hot day, which was yesterday actually and it was 92. Then it dropped to the 40's over night, plus it's windy, rainy, and never warmed up today. Just as well. I don't really need to be out in public spreading my germs.
Jobs: Curtis interviewed for another job today and thinks it went well, but he won't have an official yay or nay until next week. If he gets it, it means a pay raise, which is always nice. We also signed up to sell Mia Bella Candles, but I'm stressed out as I try to set it up, thinking that once I get it all ready to go, it will run smoothly, but getting to that point is frustrating. Then, I'm also studying for medical transcriptionist. I really want to finish the course and get a job doing that so as to help our monthly income, but I am running into so many delays from just life in general so again, I'm frustrated. I sort of feel like things are getting unbalanced, so when I can talk again, Curtis and I will be "revising" our plans.
Kids: Even though I've spent almost two weeks cooped up with the kids due to bad weather, they have kept me laughing. Joshua is getting pretty fast on those wee pudgy legs, so if the front door or bathroom door is open, he goes charging towards it. Today I left the bathroom door open while I washed my hands and here he came and kind of swung around the corner of the door way, laughing and very pleased with himself he got in. Then he stole my toothbrush and ran back out. Hannah has been rather happy too. I discovered that all the pictures she draws of me must include my belly button because her height is even with my belly button. We have been listening to a lot of classical music lately and we don't really listen to rock or country or rap. We watched a movie today, Step Up, and it had the classical music set to rap in it. Isaac just ate it up. Then he is trying to dress like the guys in the movie and then, he tries to dance like them. I do not dance. I'm stiff, I have no rhythm, I was never able to learn even the line dances. He asks me to teach him. I told him he needs to go visit my sister.
Well, that's pretty much all I have for tonight. Hope you all are having a better start to your summer than I am. I hope it improves soon.
The weather: I HATE IT!! It is now June, the pool is open, so essentially we should be able to use it. Today it was 53 (actually 48 now). You cannot swim in an outdoor pool in this weather! We have had one hot day, which was yesterday actually and it was 92. Then it dropped to the 40's over night, plus it's windy, rainy, and never warmed up today. Just as well. I don't really need to be out in public spreading my germs.
Jobs: Curtis interviewed for another job today and thinks it went well, but he won't have an official yay or nay until next week. If he gets it, it means a pay raise, which is always nice. We also signed up to sell Mia Bella Candles, but I'm stressed out as I try to set it up, thinking that once I get it all ready to go, it will run smoothly, but getting to that point is frustrating. Then, I'm also studying for medical transcriptionist. I really want to finish the course and get a job doing that so as to help our monthly income, but I am running into so many delays from just life in general so again, I'm frustrated. I sort of feel like things are getting unbalanced, so when I can talk again, Curtis and I will be "revising" our plans.
Kids: Even though I've spent almost two weeks cooped up with the kids due to bad weather, they have kept me laughing. Joshua is getting pretty fast on those wee pudgy legs, so if the front door or bathroom door is open, he goes charging towards it. Today I left the bathroom door open while I washed my hands and here he came and kind of swung around the corner of the door way, laughing and very pleased with himself he got in. Then he stole my toothbrush and ran back out. Hannah has been rather happy too. I discovered that all the pictures she draws of me must include my belly button because her height is even with my belly button. We have been listening to a lot of classical music lately and we don't really listen to rock or country or rap. We watched a movie today, Step Up, and it had the classical music set to rap in it. Isaac just ate it up. Then he is trying to dress like the guys in the movie and then, he tries to dance like them. I do not dance. I'm stiff, I have no rhythm, I was never able to learn even the line dances. He asks me to teach him. I told him he needs to go visit my sister.
Well, that's pretty much all I have for tonight. Hope you all are having a better start to your summer than I am. I hope it improves soon.
Friday, June 1, 2007
School Marm
Boy, we must be thinking alike tonight! I'm up eating chocolate chips I stashed in the back of my cupboard (I never share them, and never use them for cookies) and drinking tea. My family came to visit this week, and after a whole lot of chaos and very little organization, I did manage to get my bills paid, my house cleaned up, one meal cooked, visited the Chamber of Commerce, took my kids on a field trip, and found my desk, which was buried under an assortment of books, toys, clothes, dishes, papers, notebooks, trash, and I think I found a pair of undies in there too....not mine....thank goodness.
What I really wanted to write about tonight is really interesting. I tried to memorize as many of these "rules" as I could so as to share them with you. We visited Mansion on the Hill today. I missed the tour last summer after we moved here, and it's only open during the summer, so today, for a whole 4.00 I took all the kids through the mansion. It was beautiful! My children were wonderful, behaved, listened to me and never touched anything they were not supposed to. Totally shocked me to see them behave this well, and not that I'm complaining!
The house was set up like the early 1900's. Years ago, my grandmother built a doll house and all the furniture to go in it to look like a turn of the century house. The kitchen in the mansion had the same "appliances" that my grandma had made for her doll house. It was a gorgeous, simple house! The kids noticed that outside the back door there was a small school house and it was open for a tour. Leading to it, we walked through a small garden, which Hannah exclaimed was beautiful. Once we got in there, I was in heaven, and do were my kids apparently. I think we spent 45 minutes in there playing.
It looked just like the Laura Ingalls school house. Same kind of bench desks, attached to each other. They had slates on the teacher's desk, along with quill pens and an ink well. They had the roll up maps, old dinosaur fossil bones, a rusty bird cage and a mini log cabin that I'm sure children from decades ago built. I read the books still on their shelves and felt a twinge of envy that I couldn't check them out. They even had an old recipe book from 1903 in there! They also had a stuffed teacher with a uniform of the day on. Simeon was fascinated with the wood burning stove in there. When we walked in, they all found a seat and my heart beat a little faster when they asked me to pretend to be their teacher, and they would be the students, and then each of them took turns being the teacher, and I the student. It was so fun! I got side tracked a little bit reading the display they had by the door about all the teachers that had served in the school, the rules for the teacher, and a history of the one room schoolhouse.
Actually, here in Nebraska they still had country schools in operation until this year when they closed down the last of them. It must be a sad day for them, I think. Just standing in that room for a little under an hour was really neat, and enjoyable, and none of us wanted to leave, so I can't imagine what those teachers are feeling this year. As I looked at the list of teachers for this school, the last one to teach in it was Evelyn Frosh in 1966. Evelyn is who we rent our house from. The kids know her and we almost trooped down to her office after the tour to ask her to tell us stories about her experience in the school. I think I still might do that next week.
So, from memory, I wanted to share with you the rules for the one room schoolhouse teacher in 1915. I love old fashion things, and especially this stuff, so I was just eating this up!
1. They may not socialize with men.
2. They may not loiter at the ice cream parlor.
3. They may not leave the city unless they were granted permission from the chairman of the board.
4. They must not smoke cigarettes.
5. They may not dye their hair.
6. They may not wear bold colors.
7. They must wear at least 2 petticoats.
8. They may not wear any skirts shorter than 2 inches above the ankles.
9. The fire must be started promptly at 7:00 so the schoolroom would be warm by 8:00.
10. Sweep the floor every day. Scrub the floors once a week. Clean and wash the blackboard every day. Keep the room tidy.
11. They are to be indoors from 8 pm to 6 am.
I noticed that with the exception of one woman who taught for two years, no one was there for more than one year at a time. In later years I saw that they were addressed as Mrs., so the no men allowed rule must have been lifted at some point. I saw in the teachers desk that most of the teachers had carved their names into the inside of one of the drawers. How daring that must have been.
I love teachers. I love teaching. I love the fact that I get to teach my own children! As we left the kids were begging to have a school room like that, and that just sent thrills through my heart. They love that stuff just as much as I do! To be honest, if we had the opportunity, I would love to set up a school room just like that (minus the wood burning heater...we have central heat now, thank goodness!). It was such a bright, beautiful, simple school room, yet it still got me excited to learn, to teach and to play!
So, cheers to the school marm! Whether you homeschool, teach in public school, tutor students or just love children, I commend you for your noble aspirations, your diligence, your attentiveness, your tolerance and love. May we all continue to make a difference in a child's life!
What I really wanted to write about tonight is really interesting. I tried to memorize as many of these "rules" as I could so as to share them with you. We visited Mansion on the Hill today. I missed the tour last summer after we moved here, and it's only open during the summer, so today, for a whole 4.00 I took all the kids through the mansion. It was beautiful! My children were wonderful, behaved, listened to me and never touched anything they were not supposed to. Totally shocked me to see them behave this well, and not that I'm complaining!
The house was set up like the early 1900's. Years ago, my grandmother built a doll house and all the furniture to go in it to look like a turn of the century house. The kitchen in the mansion had the same "appliances" that my grandma had made for her doll house. It was a gorgeous, simple house! The kids noticed that outside the back door there was a small school house and it was open for a tour. Leading to it, we walked through a small garden, which Hannah exclaimed was beautiful. Once we got in there, I was in heaven, and do were my kids apparently. I think we spent 45 minutes in there playing.
It looked just like the Laura Ingalls school house. Same kind of bench desks, attached to each other. They had slates on the teacher's desk, along with quill pens and an ink well. They had the roll up maps, old dinosaur fossil bones, a rusty bird cage and a mini log cabin that I'm sure children from decades ago built. I read the books still on their shelves and felt a twinge of envy that I couldn't check them out. They even had an old recipe book from 1903 in there! They also had a stuffed teacher with a uniform of the day on. Simeon was fascinated with the wood burning stove in there. When we walked in, they all found a seat and my heart beat a little faster when they asked me to pretend to be their teacher, and they would be the students, and then each of them took turns being the teacher, and I the student. It was so fun! I got side tracked a little bit reading the display they had by the door about all the teachers that had served in the school, the rules for the teacher, and a history of the one room schoolhouse.
Actually, here in Nebraska they still had country schools in operation until this year when they closed down the last of them. It must be a sad day for them, I think. Just standing in that room for a little under an hour was really neat, and enjoyable, and none of us wanted to leave, so I can't imagine what those teachers are feeling this year. As I looked at the list of teachers for this school, the last one to teach in it was Evelyn Frosh in 1966. Evelyn is who we rent our house from. The kids know her and we almost trooped down to her office after the tour to ask her to tell us stories about her experience in the school. I think I still might do that next week.
So, from memory, I wanted to share with you the rules for the one room schoolhouse teacher in 1915. I love old fashion things, and especially this stuff, so I was just eating this up!
1. They may not socialize with men.
2. They may not loiter at the ice cream parlor.
3. They may not leave the city unless they were granted permission from the chairman of the board.
4. They must not smoke cigarettes.
5. They may not dye their hair.
6. They may not wear bold colors.
7. They must wear at least 2 petticoats.
8. They may not wear any skirts shorter than 2 inches above the ankles.
9. The fire must be started promptly at 7:00 so the schoolroom would be warm by 8:00.
10. Sweep the floor every day. Scrub the floors once a week. Clean and wash the blackboard every day. Keep the room tidy.
11. They are to be indoors from 8 pm to 6 am.
I noticed that with the exception of one woman who taught for two years, no one was there for more than one year at a time. In later years I saw that they were addressed as Mrs., so the no men allowed rule must have been lifted at some point. I saw in the teachers desk that most of the teachers had carved their names into the inside of one of the drawers. How daring that must have been.
I love teachers. I love teaching. I love the fact that I get to teach my own children! As we left the kids were begging to have a school room like that, and that just sent thrills through my heart. They love that stuff just as much as I do! To be honest, if we had the opportunity, I would love to set up a school room just like that (minus the wood burning heater...we have central heat now, thank goodness!). It was such a bright, beautiful, simple school room, yet it still got me excited to learn, to teach and to play!
So, cheers to the school marm! Whether you homeschool, teach in public school, tutor students or just love children, I commend you for your noble aspirations, your diligence, your attentiveness, your tolerance and love. May we all continue to make a difference in a child's life!
Crazy Ladies
"Ok, so do these crazy ladies finally have it together?" you ask? Meaning, have they decided on what the heck kind of theme they want for this site?
Answer:
Gentle Reader,
Yes, by jingo, we think we've got it. Hehehe. To be honest Shiloah's favorite thing in the world is a calico site! Where every page is hodge podge and there is just no rhyme or reason. (Just kidding)
Ok, seriously though, Dawn and I feel like we finally found the website theme to fit our needs! We are completely happy with it in every way and really don't see any new theme changes in our future! Unless..... (Ok, ok, I'll stop now before I stress everyone out.)
Loving yours,
Shiloah, who is hopped up on chocolate M&M therapy
Answer:
Gentle Reader,
Yes, by jingo, we think we've got it. Hehehe. To be honest Shiloah's favorite thing in the world is a calico site! Where every page is hodge podge and there is just no rhyme or reason. (Just kidding)
Ok, seriously though, Dawn and I feel like we finally found the website theme to fit our needs! We are completely happy with it in every way and really don't see any new theme changes in our future! Unless..... (Ok, ok, I'll stop now before I stress everyone out.)
Loving yours,
Shiloah, who is hopped up on chocolate M&M therapy
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