We've gone to two Bulldog football games this fall. It's been cold but nothing that a warm blanket and steaming hot cocoa can't fix. Our favorite part is running out on the field after the game!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday Night Lights
We've gone to two Bulldog football games this fall. It's been cold but nothing that a warm blanket and steaming hot cocoa can't fix. Our favorite part is running out on the field after the game!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Into Enemy Territory
For what stands to be our last camping trip of the season, we ventured north (until we could smell it) then east (until we stepped in it.) Then we saw the big barn labeled "Swine" so we knew we drove too far. Sufficed to say, we were in the land of the orange and black. We really had a fun weekend, explored the new stadium, and even ate at a tee shirt store (of all places) that the local's referred to as Joe's (frankly, it was mediocre food). It turned out to be a nice camping weekend, even though the first night was rather chilly. We were the only campers within sight. Here are a few snapshots from the weekend. (Gabe has requested these photos not be forwarded to Uncle Don.)
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Blastoff!
We studied the sun and the moon in our first two weeks of homeschool. I managed to talk a couple of furniture store guys into giving me a free box, and the kids enjoyed traveling to outer space for a few days. Anyone need a rocket ship?
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Owen's 1-year update
A little late, but here it goes!
For Owen's 1st birthday, we had a barnyard theme. I found the decorations when he was about 3 months old, so I've been planning this for a while! In attendance were Grammy, Aunt Diana and Braden, Grandma, Grandpa, and our neighbors, The Walworths with Baby Kate, and Stephanie with Baby Cale. We had a great party and I was very pleased with the cake and everything else. We had his birthday a few weeks late, on August 8th, and he had just started walking within the last week. Definitely my latest walker at 12.5 months!
We had his one-year check up on July 30th, so he was ~ 1 year and 10 days old. He weighed 20lb 14oz (19th%), was 29.8 inches tall (47th%) and his head was 47cm (67th%). Since his weight has continued to steadily fall, she recommended having blood drawn again. We did this at his 6-month check, and everything was normal, with a borderline iron count. Thankfully, the only thing that was abnormal was low iron, so she put him on an iron supplement. We'll retest again at 15 months to see if the iron has improved. She said this could contribute to slow weight gain. He looks big to me, but I guess not compared to other 1 year olds!
While he doesn't have any real words yet, he babbles up a storm constantly. He always points to something and starts babbling, so I know he's trying to communicate with us. He does have a few signs, but doesn't do them on his own yet. When I ask if he's all done, he'll wave his hands for all done. If I tell him to say please, he'll swipe his hand across his chest to sign please. He knows the signs for more and nurse, and gets very excited if I do them, but he hasn't done them consistently by himself. Just yesterday, I noticed he's started waving his hand when I say, "bye bye!" He is SURE to let you know if he doesn't like something. He has become quite the screecher and throws a big fit if we have to take something away from him.
He still sleeps through the night most nights, occassionally waking once to nurse, usually around 6 or so. He'll go back to sleep for a few more hours. Some mornings, he wakes around 7 or 7:30, and then he's usually up for the day. If he gets up early, he will usually take two naps. Otherwise, he'll just take one. He's a pretty good napper, though. He usually sleeps for at least 2 hours.
He will eat just about any table food that's soft enough to gum. He has four teeth on top and two on the bottom, with another one or two coming in on bottom. He's finally getting into fruits. Loves banana, blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, oranges...just about any soft fruit. He didn't care for the soft baby apple chunks, last time I tried them. He also loves veggies and beans. LOVES meats and crackers. He doesn't like to sit in the high chair, though, so I have to make sure his tray stays full to keep him interested. He has become straw crazy the last few days, and gets VERY excited when he sees me with a drink with a straw.
Still in size 4 diapers and size 12-18 month clothes. He can wear a few 18 month things, but I think he'll still be in 12-18 month pants to start the winter. I finally started putting shoes on him. He can SQUEEZE into the size 3 Baby Nike Shox that I bought and forgot about, but he fits pretty comfortably into the size 4 tennies. The size 4/5 Crocs are still a bit big. I was afraid it would be a hassle to get him to keep them on, since he isn't used to them, but he seems to be happy wearing them!
His hair is so gorgeous and I can't bring myself to cut it, other than two bang trims. He's about ready for another trim. I wonder how long he'll stay a toe head. For a while, I hope!
He loves to play with the big kids. Fortunately, he doesn't seem to put a lot of things in his mouth (Gabe was the same way) so we haven't had too many issues with him putting the kids' toys in his mouth. He loves to play at Reese's train table or in Gabe's room. LOVES to play outside with them. Especially loves anything with wheels that he can slide back and forth on the floor. His favorite game is shaking his head. I'll have to post a video of that soon.
In short, he's healthy, happy, and we love him so much!
For Owen's 1st birthday, we had a barnyard theme. I found the decorations when he was about 3 months old, so I've been planning this for a while! In attendance were Grammy, Aunt Diana and Braden, Grandma, Grandpa, and our neighbors, The Walworths with Baby Kate, and Stephanie with Baby Cale. We had a great party and I was very pleased with the cake and everything else. We had his birthday a few weeks late, on August 8th, and he had just started walking within the last week. Definitely my latest walker at 12.5 months!
We had his one-year check up on July 30th, so he was ~ 1 year and 10 days old. He weighed 20lb 14oz (19th%), was 29.8 inches tall (47th%) and his head was 47cm (67th%). Since his weight has continued to steadily fall, she recommended having blood drawn again. We did this at his 6-month check, and everything was normal, with a borderline iron count. Thankfully, the only thing that was abnormal was low iron, so she put him on an iron supplement. We'll retest again at 15 months to see if the iron has improved. She said this could contribute to slow weight gain. He looks big to me, but I guess not compared to other 1 year olds!
While he doesn't have any real words yet, he babbles up a storm constantly. He always points to something and starts babbling, so I know he's trying to communicate with us. He does have a few signs, but doesn't do them on his own yet. When I ask if he's all done, he'll wave his hands for all done. If I tell him to say please, he'll swipe his hand across his chest to sign please. He knows the signs for more and nurse, and gets very excited if I do them, but he hasn't done them consistently by himself. Just yesterday, I noticed he's started waving his hand when I say, "bye bye!" He is SURE to let you know if he doesn't like something. He has become quite the screecher and throws a big fit if we have to take something away from him.
He still sleeps through the night most nights, occassionally waking once to nurse, usually around 6 or so. He'll go back to sleep for a few more hours. Some mornings, he wakes around 7 or 7:30, and then he's usually up for the day. If he gets up early, he will usually take two naps. Otherwise, he'll just take one. He's a pretty good napper, though. He usually sleeps for at least 2 hours.
He will eat just about any table food that's soft enough to gum. He has four teeth on top and two on the bottom, with another one or two coming in on bottom. He's finally getting into fruits. Loves banana, blueberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, oranges...just about any soft fruit. He didn't care for the soft baby apple chunks, last time I tried them. He also loves veggies and beans. LOVES meats and crackers. He doesn't like to sit in the high chair, though, so I have to make sure his tray stays full to keep him interested. He has become straw crazy the last few days, and gets VERY excited when he sees me with a drink with a straw.
Still in size 4 diapers and size 12-18 month clothes. He can wear a few 18 month things, but I think he'll still be in 12-18 month pants to start the winter. I finally started putting shoes on him. He can SQUEEZE into the size 3 Baby Nike Shox that I bought and forgot about, but he fits pretty comfortably into the size 4 tennies. The size 4/5 Crocs are still a bit big. I was afraid it would be a hassle to get him to keep them on, since he isn't used to them, but he seems to be happy wearing them!
His hair is so gorgeous and I can't bring myself to cut it, other than two bang trims. He's about ready for another trim. I wonder how long he'll stay a toe head. For a while, I hope!
He loves to play with the big kids. Fortunately, he doesn't seem to put a lot of things in his mouth (Gabe was the same way) so we haven't had too many issues with him putting the kids' toys in his mouth. He loves to play at Reese's train table or in Gabe's room. LOVES to play outside with them. Especially loves anything with wheels that he can slide back and forth on the floor. His favorite game is shaking his head. I'll have to post a video of that soon.
In short, he's healthy, happy, and we love him so much!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Camping at Skiatook
We left Thursday night and drove to a casino in Catoosa. We parked there for the night. In the morning we drove to Skiatook and made camp (after breakfast at the kids' favorite place, Cracker Barrel). We were lucky because most of the spots were reserved, but we found a very nice one in the woods. Far and away the most fun we had was when we rented a WaveRunner. Even Reese had fun, although she did fall asleep riding it.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Like father, like son
Owen has grown very interested in books lately. I keep a basket of them on his changing table, and sometimes, that's the only way I can keep him still long enough to change his diaper. He's even starting to turn the pages!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Sunday School
I taught our sunday school class this week at our church. This was the second Sunday that I've taught. I find it a great way to volunteer, as I find the preparation and learning required to be highly enjoyable, before even giving consideration to any sort of service for others. Win-win. As long I do a good job, which I suppose is the foremost challenge.
Anyway, this week we discussed the problem of evil. As I mentioned here before, Gabe recently inquired about why God made bad people (a question I was not readily prepared to answer). This is just one variation of the problem of evil. Why do bad things happen? Why does suffering exist? Why do terrible tragedies befall seemingly innocent parties, especially in light of an all-loving God (omnibenevolent)? Basically, the problem is how do we reconcile the fact of evil's existence with an all-loving, all-powerful God. Wouldn't an all-powerful, all-loving God eradicate, or better yet, have never permitted at all, the existence of evil?
A Greek philosopher named Epicurus posed this same question some 300 years before Christ. He posited the dilemma thusly:
The great Church theologian Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, spent a good deal of thought on this subject. As to the genesis of evil, he articulated a position known as privatio boni, or the privation of good. This idea says that evil, in an ontological sense, doesn't exist, that is, it has no essence or being. It is simply the absence of good. In a similar sense, darkness itself has no essence. It is the lack of light, a fact, perhaps, not lost on the Biblical writers, as the equating of evil with darkness appears there. But just because something doesn't really exist doesn't mean it can't do harm. Imagine walking in a field. You are relying on the dirt underneath your feet to support you. If you happen to encounter a lack of dirt, i.e. a hole, that privation can cause you real harm.
Charles Templeton, a prominent evangelist from the 1950s who apparently was at one point more renowned than his colleague Billy Graham, was challenged by this paradox. As he was looking at Life magazine, he saw a moving picture of an African woman holding her dead child. The child had died from famine. Templeton questioned with particular difficulty how God could permit such tragedy. Without much delay he left the ministry and later left the faith, and remained a vocal atheist for the remainder of his days.
We discussed all this and the common Christian responses: free will, greater good, and evil defines good theories.
The free will theory states that God allows evil because it is necessary for an adequate amount of freedom in our choices. God didn't create the universe to be perfect. He created it to be a place for his spiritual creations made in his image to live and ultimately choose between loving him or rejecting him. Without this choice, true love can't exist. You can't choose between good and bad if bad doesn't exist. This may adequately explain the necessity of moral evil, but what about disease, famine, and natural disasters? Moreover, how do you explain this to a four-year-old?
The greater good theory says that, while God doesn't create evil, he uses it for a greater ultimate result, whether we're aware of it or not, a sort of divine ends-justifies-the-means. Common biblical examples of this include the selling of Joseph into slavery by his brothers, which ultimately results in the salvation of Israel (read Gen. 50:20); Jesus and the healing of the man blind from birth (John 9); and ultimately the whole story of Jesus and the crucifixion itself.
Finally, the evil-defines-good theory says we can't recognize good without evil to contrast it to. You can't recognize a beautiful day unless you've experienced terrible weather.
Ultimately, we can't solve this problem of evil because we can't think like God (see Rom. 11:33-34). We can, however, take solace in the promise that God will eradicate evil in the new earth (see Rev. 21:4). This is the ultimate Christian hope.
Additional reading from Randy Alcorn here.
Another good read on the subject is N.T. Wright's Evil and the Justice of God.
Anyway, this week we discussed the problem of evil. As I mentioned here before, Gabe recently inquired about why God made bad people (a question I was not readily prepared to answer). This is just one variation of the problem of evil. Why do bad things happen? Why does suffering exist? Why do terrible tragedies befall seemingly innocent parties, especially in light of an all-loving God (omnibenevolent)? Basically, the problem is how do we reconcile the fact of evil's existence with an all-loving, all-powerful God. Wouldn't an all-powerful, all-loving God eradicate, or better yet, have never permitted at all, the existence of evil?
A Greek philosopher named Epicurus posed this same question some 300 years before Christ. He posited the dilemma thusly:
Either God wants to abolish evil, and cannot; or he can, but does not want to; or he cannot and does not want to. If he wants to, but cannot, he is impotent. If he can, and does not want to, he is wicked. But, if God both can and wants to abolish evil, then how come evil exists in the world?
The great Church theologian Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, spent a good deal of thought on this subject. As to the genesis of evil, he articulated a position known as privatio boni, or the privation of good. This idea says that evil, in an ontological sense, doesn't exist, that is, it has no essence or being. It is simply the absence of good. In a similar sense, darkness itself has no essence. It is the lack of light, a fact, perhaps, not lost on the Biblical writers, as the equating of evil with darkness appears there. But just because something doesn't really exist doesn't mean it can't do harm. Imagine walking in a field. You are relying on the dirt underneath your feet to support you. If you happen to encounter a lack of dirt, i.e. a hole, that privation can cause you real harm.
Charles Templeton, a prominent evangelist from the 1950s who apparently was at one point more renowned than his colleague Billy Graham, was challenged by this paradox. As he was looking at Life magazine, he saw a moving picture of an African woman holding her dead child. The child had died from famine. Templeton questioned with particular difficulty how God could permit such tragedy. Without much delay he left the ministry and later left the faith, and remained a vocal atheist for the remainder of his days.
We discussed all this and the common Christian responses: free will, greater good, and evil defines good theories.
The free will theory states that God allows evil because it is necessary for an adequate amount of freedom in our choices. God didn't create the universe to be perfect. He created it to be a place for his spiritual creations made in his image to live and ultimately choose between loving him or rejecting him. Without this choice, true love can't exist. You can't choose between good and bad if bad doesn't exist. This may adequately explain the necessity of moral evil, but what about disease, famine, and natural disasters? Moreover, how do you explain this to a four-year-old?
The greater good theory says that, while God doesn't create evil, he uses it for a greater ultimate result, whether we're aware of it or not, a sort of divine ends-justifies-the-means. Common biblical examples of this include the selling of Joseph into slavery by his brothers, which ultimately results in the salvation of Israel (read Gen. 50:20); Jesus and the healing of the man blind from birth (John 9); and ultimately the whole story of Jesus and the crucifixion itself.
Finally, the evil-defines-good theory says we can't recognize good without evil to contrast it to. You can't recognize a beautiful day unless you've experienced terrible weather.
Ultimately, we can't solve this problem of evil because we can't think like God (see Rom. 11:33-34). We can, however, take solace in the promise that God will eradicate evil in the new earth (see Rev. 21:4). This is the ultimate Christian hope.
Additional reading from Randy Alcorn here.
Another good read on the subject is N.T. Wright's Evil and the Justice of God.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Uh oh!
Owen has discovered how to open cabinets. Fortunately, I still have everything dangerous put up, but I may have to find the cabinet locks, if I don't want to pick up the measuring cups and towels 40 times a day!
Friday, May 22, 2009
A Conversation Snippet
As Gabe and I were sitting on the back porch last night, enjoying a warm evening as dusk turned to night, we were watching the stars come out and he pointed out the one that twinkled the most. We saw the first fireflies of the summer.
Gabe: Why did God make bad people?
Dad: Gabe, that's a deep theological question, one that people have been asking for a really long time.
Gabe (smiling): Good thing I asked it, huh?
Gabe: Why did God make bad people?
Dad: Gabe, that's a deep theological question, one that people have been asking for a really long time.
Gabe (smiling): Good thing I asked it, huh?
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Owen - 10 months
It's been a while since I've done a long update for Owen. He's getting so big! Last time I had him weighed, he was right around 20 pounds. He's on the go all the time. Once he sees something he wants, he takes off crawling as fast as he can (which is pretty fast!) He stands alone for several seconds at a time (until he realizes what he's doing) but isn't taking any steps yet. He cruises all around, so I imagine it won't be long!
No discernible words yet, but he jibber jabbers ALL the time.
We're still nursing, but I've given up on baby food. He's gone straight to table food. Even though he still has no teeth, he can gum small pieces of food like a pro! He loves pasta, cheese, oatmeal, meat, yogurt, crackers...pretty much anything small and soft. He doesn't seem to like bananas, blueberries or oranges, though. Maybe he's just not a fruit guy!
He's been in 12-18 month clothes for a while. Still not filling out size 4 shoes. I imagine he'll move into those sometime this summer. I have a thing for baby shoes, so he has several pair waiting for him!
I think we're raising another fish! He LOVES the bathtub and swimming pool. Unfortunately, that means he also likes to splash in the dog's water, so I have to watch that carefully.
He's a pretty good sleeper. Sleeps through the night most nights. He occassionally wakes in the early morning to eat, but he goes back to sleep until 8 or so.
He loves to play with toys. A favorite game is to knock over a stack of blocks. He loves to wrestle with the big kids and dad. He also likes to play on the back patio with the kids. I'll be glad when he starts walking so he's not crawling around in the dirt!
No discernible words yet, but he jibber jabbers ALL the time.
We're still nursing, but I've given up on baby food. He's gone straight to table food. Even though he still has no teeth, he can gum small pieces of food like a pro! He loves pasta, cheese, oatmeal, meat, yogurt, crackers...pretty much anything small and soft. He doesn't seem to like bananas, blueberries or oranges, though. Maybe he's just not a fruit guy!
He's been in 12-18 month clothes for a while. Still not filling out size 4 shoes. I imagine he'll move into those sometime this summer. I have a thing for baby shoes, so he has several pair waiting for him!
I think we're raising another fish! He LOVES the bathtub and swimming pool. Unfortunately, that means he also likes to splash in the dog's water, so I have to watch that carefully.
He's a pretty good sleeper. Sleeps through the night most nights. He occassionally wakes in the early morning to eat, but he goes back to sleep until 8 or so.
He loves to play with toys. A favorite game is to knock over a stack of blocks. He loves to wrestle with the big kids and dad. He also likes to play on the back patio with the kids. I'll be glad when he starts walking so he's not crawling around in the dirt!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Dad's turn
Gabe - almost 5
1. What is something dad always says to you?
"I love you."
2. What makes dad happy?
"play soccer with me"
3. What makes dad sad?
"when I don't obey him"
4. How does your dad make you laugh?
"tickle me."
5. What was your dad like as a child?
"I don't know"
6. How old is your dad?
"I don't know"
7. How tall is your dad?
"50 feet tall"
8. What is his favorite thing to do?
"play with me"
9. What does your dad do when you're not around?
"shoot guns"
10. If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for?
"winning the Piston cup" (too much Cars movie??)
11. What is your dad really good at?
"shooting guns"
12. What is your dad not very good at?
"playing soccer--I always win"
13. What does your dad do for a job?
"he makes sure people aren't cheating"
14.What is your dad's favorite food?
"Macaroni and cheese"
15. What makes you proud of your dad?
"Making my lunch" (not sure he knows what proud means)
16. If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be?
"Curious George" (same as mommy!)
17. What do you and your dad do together?
"play soccer, go to the gun range and go pow, pow, pow"
18. How are you and your dad the same?
"we each have two eyes. and one nose. and one mouth and one heart and two legs and we both like the Cardinals"
19. How are you and your dad different?
"Daddy doesn't have a Cardinals shirt, becept (except) I do"
20. How do you know your dad loves you?
"Because he takes me to school." (once)
21. What does your dad like most about your mom?
"teasing each other"
22. Where is your dad's favorite place to go?
"gun range"(true that)
Gabe - almost 5
1. What is something dad always says to you?
"I love you."
2. What makes dad happy?
"play soccer with me"
3. What makes dad sad?
"when I don't obey him"
4. How does your dad make you laugh?
"tickle me."
5. What was your dad like as a child?
"I don't know"
6. How old is your dad?
"I don't know"
7. How tall is your dad?
"50 feet tall"
8. What is his favorite thing to do?
"play with me"
9. What does your dad do when you're not around?
"shoot guns"
10. If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for?
"winning the Piston cup" (too much Cars movie??)
11. What is your dad really good at?
"shooting guns"
12. What is your dad not very good at?
"playing soccer--I always win"
13. What does your dad do for a job?
"he makes sure people aren't cheating"
14.What is your dad's favorite food?
"Macaroni and cheese"
15. What makes you proud of your dad?
"Making my lunch" (not sure he knows what proud means)
16. If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be?
"Curious George" (same as mommy!)
17. What do you and your dad do together?
"play soccer, go to the gun range and go pow, pow, pow"
18. How are you and your dad the same?
"we each have two eyes. and one nose. and one mouth and one heart and two legs and we both like the Cardinals"
19. How are you and your dad different?
"Daddy doesn't have a Cardinals shirt, becept (except) I do"
20. How do you know your dad loves you?
"Because he takes me to school." (once)
21. What does your dad like most about your mom?
"teasing each other"
22. Where is your dad's favorite place to go?
"gun range"(true that)
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Interview with Gabe
Just a few fun questions:
Gabe - almost 5
1. What is something mom always says to you?
"I love you."
2. What makes mom happy?
"cuddling with you"
3. What makes mom sad?
"when I don't obey you"
4. How does your mom make you laugh?
"When you tickle me."
5. What was your mom like as a child?
"I don't really know"
6. How old is your mom?
"I don't know"
7. How tall is your mom?
"15 tall" (??)
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
"play baseball with me"
9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
"playing with Reese"
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
"winning a race" (???)
11. What is your mom really good at?
"baseball"
12. What is your mom not very good at?
"racing" (I thought I was going to be famous for winning a race???)
13. What does your mom do for a job?
"work at home."
14.What is your mom's favorite food?
"sandwich" (um, NO! ---oops, he can read the word NO.)
15. What makes you proud of your mom?
"You playing baseball with me." (can you tell this kid's a baseball freak?)
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
"Curious George" (I guess I'm mischievous?)
17. What do you and your mom do together?
"most of the time, read books"
18. How are you and your mom the same?
"we each have two eyes. and one nose. and one mouth"
19. How are you and your mom different?
"I don't have a breast, and you have a breast" (just one? I'm nursing the baby, so I think that's why he answered this way.)
20. How do you know your mom loves you?
"Because we cuddle a lot."
21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
"cuddle with him"
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
"Cracker Barrel"
Gabe - almost 5
1. What is something mom always says to you?
"I love you."
2. What makes mom happy?
"cuddling with you"
3. What makes mom sad?
"when I don't obey you"
4. How does your mom make you laugh?
"When you tickle me."
5. What was your mom like as a child?
"I don't really know"
6. How old is your mom?
"I don't know"
7. How tall is your mom?
"15 tall" (??)
8. What is her favorite thing to do?
"play baseball with me"
9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
"playing with Reese"
10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
"winning a race" (???)
11. What is your mom really good at?
"baseball"
12. What is your mom not very good at?
"racing" (I thought I was going to be famous for winning a race???)
13. What does your mom do for a job?
"work at home."
14.What is your mom's favorite food?
"sandwich" (um, NO! ---oops, he can read the word NO.)
15. What makes you proud of your mom?
"You playing baseball with me." (can you tell this kid's a baseball freak?)
16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
"Curious George" (I guess I'm mischievous?)
17. What do you and your mom do together?
"most of the time, read books"
18. How are you and your mom the same?
"we each have two eyes. and one nose. and one mouth"
19. How are you and your mom different?
"I don't have a breast, and you have a breast" (just one? I'm nursing the baby, so I think that's why he answered this way.)
20. How do you know your mom loves you?
"Because we cuddle a lot."
21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
"cuddle with him"
22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
"Cracker Barrel"
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
So much for sushi
I've gotten Brooke to expand her gastronomical horizon in recent months and have successfully gotten her to incorporate sushi into her regular dining repertoire. At first it was baby steps, just something simple like the California roll -- certainly nothing raw. Slowly, though, she's begun to open her mind and will now eat the fresh tuna or salmon, but still can't bear the thought of the masago. Admittedly, after years of using salmon eggs as trout bait, it's a tough one for me to swallow as well, but my tastes mature.
To our delight, a new sushi/oriental restaurant opened just a few blocks from our house about three months ago. We hadn't tried it -- it looked like the all-too-familiar strip center "Golden Dragon" or "Hong Kong Chef" where the house special is takeout sweet and sour pork -- until I read a review in the weekly free paper that told of the chef's elite west coast experience. So we tried it. The food was really good. The lack of English skills by the staff proved difficult at times, but ultimately we thought it added to the authenticity of the place. The kids liked the sesame chicken, while we really thought the sushi was marvelous. We were even treated to a "baby geiko" on the house. It instantly became a favorite, although we still had to order it "sans masago." Another benefit of this place, besides its location and great food and value, was that it was nearly empty. And anyone with kids our age knows what a great benefit this is -- no worry of bothering other diners. This would prove shortsighted in the end.
We returned several times, each time trying something new along with a favorite. I suppose we saw the handwriting on the wall. The empty or near empty tables at 7 on Saturday. The sudden lack of straws. The equally sudden reappearance of straws that I think came from Subway.
We felt bad. I wanted these guys to succeed. We told friends about the place. Here we have people taking risks, coming to America, working hard. This was the American dream. If our own population would get off their duff and work this hard at something besides getting food stamps, our economy wouldn't be in decline. But, alas, it was not to be. We loaded up the SUV last Saturday and made our way to (very literally) "our sushi place". Locked. Tables gone. Gabe, who had only moments earlier when told where we were going commented on how they have the "very best chicken," broke down and lost it, as he is well known to do when something familiar in his world disappears. We settled for Mexican and it just wasn't the same.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tea Party
I took the family to the local Tea Party at the steps of state capitol today. Early estimates put the crowd at over 5,000.
Some observations:
- This was a family-friendly protest. My kids were safe among these tax-paying, God-clinging, law-abiding citizens. There were also probably a lot of Glocks being clung to in the crowd. I didn't have to worry about filthy language or obscene T-shirts. Contrast this with any R-rated anti-Bush rally. A nice older lady in the crowd gave the kids each a small flag to wave.
- This was a grass roots effort. Professional politicians were not welcomed here, at least to speak.
- There was unanimity of purpose. These people were of one mind. There were no anti-abortion or pro-gun signs. This was about out of control government spending.
- This was an anti-Government rally, not anti-government. People here want the Constitution back in government. Apparently, this puts you on a government watch list these days.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Omnivore's Dilemma book review
This book is about the modern industrial food system. The government long ago decided that cheap food was a political winner. Except with the farmers. Enter the government subsidies to corn farmers. This begets a lot of cheap corn. Despite the subsidy, the corn farmer still struggles because of low corn prices. To make up for it, he plants more corn. And prices go even lower as a result. So he plants more corn. This all leads to a bunch of corn. At the same time, scientists have discovered that you can do a lot of things with that corn if you take it apart and chemically process it - sweetners, plastics, fuel. It's in everything too, at least at the grocery store. If we are what we eat, then we're corn.Alas, we've still got mountains of the stuff. Here's an idea, let's feed it to our cattle. Never mind that the cow isn't designed to eat the stuff. But they'll eat if they have to, plus it makes them big really quick. Aha! cheap corn begets cheap beef!
Do you know where your hamburger comes from? Most likely from a feedlot. Let the corn feast begin. Here's the ramifications of that. Unlike any other time in history, beef is now affordable to the masses. I guess that's generally a good thing, except for the increase in obesity and heart disease that we've seen as a direct result. But back to the feedlot. Here the cattle is kept in compact feeding lots with millions of other cattle, feasting on vast amounts of corn (as well as beef and other animal parts) and living ankle deep in their own waste. These confined feedlots are literally breeding ground for pestilence and disease. Another problem: cattle don't naturally eat grains, they eat grass. In fact, eating corn makes them sick. To combat both of these problems, we feed them large quantities of antibiotics. When they finally get their date at the slaughterhouse, they've got months of excrement caked on their bodies from the feedlot pits full of disease. Try as they might to get it off, some of it still gets through to our meat, along with the pathogens, most notably E. Coli. And yet another problem ensues. We've taken healthy cows off of healthy, disease-free farms to a cattle gotham and force prophylactic antibiotics on them in massive quantities and then wonder why all the sudden antibiotic-resistance pathogens keep creeping up.
Do you know what's on that Chicken McNugget? It's called TBHQ, or tertiary butylhydroquinone and it's to "help preserve freshness." The problem is that ingesting a single gram of the stuff can cause nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, delirium, a sense of suffocation, and collapse. Ingesting five grams can kill. My kids are no longer allowed Chicken McNuggets.
Do you know where that incredible, edible egg comes from? The poor egg laying hen perhaps gets perhaps the shortest straw of all the agricultural animals. Given life for these hens consists of living in a cozy cage the size of four normal pieces of paper with a half dozen of her mates,
every natural instinct of this hen is thwarted, leading to a range of behavioral "vices" that can include cannibalizing her cage mates and rubbing her breasts against the wire mesh until it is completely bald and bleeding...the 10% or so of the hens that can't endure it and simply die is built into the cost of production. And when the output of the survivors begins to ebb, the hens will be "force-molted"-- starved of food and water and light for several days in order to stimulate a final bout of egg laying before their life's work is done.Prior to WWII, our farms were multi focused. We grew corn and beans and chickens and tomatoes and pork and milk. The cycle was complete. But for efficiency's sake (a la Adam Smith's division of labor) we abandoned this model and went for a single product farm - most likely corn. The cycle was broken. No longer did the pastured beef and pigs and chickens fertilize the crops. We had to bring in chemical fertilizer to do the job. This of course has larger geopolitical and environmental ramifications itself.
Regardless, we're now a nation of people much like those feedlot cows. We're happily eating an unnatural diet that is making us sick. We're blithely eating whatever the figurative feedlots put in front of us. At least until you read this book. Recommended.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Toothbrushes
The kids each got a new toothbrush in their stockings at Christmas. They are the kind that play a little music while the kids brush. One got a red and orange Lion King toothbrush and the other got a yellow one that plays a "If you're happy and you know it, brush your teeth" diddy. I don't even remember who got which one. But apparently, for whatever reason, the red one has become the popular one. They both wanted to use it everyday. We tried taking turns but it was hard to remember who had it last, and asking them was extremely unreliable (they each have a memory biased in their own favor.)
Enter the easiest solution: the luck of the draw. At night time, I started holding both toothbrushes behind my back, and letting them pick a hand. At first, if they didn't get the red one, a fit ensued. Admiringly, both have learned to be happy, even if they get the yellow one. A quick look of dread is quickly replaced by a "Yea!", even if we all know it's insincere. We've since altered the process slightly, because we couldn't remember who picked first last time. Now we flip a coin to decide who gets to pick the hand behind the back. Gabe runs and finds a quarter every time.
Now we're just waiting for them to be repulsed by the idea of sharing toothbrushes or for the next set of toothbrushes to be identical.
Enter the easiest solution: the luck of the draw. At night time, I started holding both toothbrushes behind my back, and letting them pick a hand. At first, if they didn't get the red one, a fit ensued. Admiringly, both have learned to be happy, even if they get the yellow one. A quick look of dread is quickly replaced by a "Yea!", even if we all know it's insincere. We've since altered the process slightly, because we couldn't remember who picked first last time. Now we flip a coin to decide who gets to pick the hand behind the back. Gabe runs and finds a quarter every time.
Now we're just waiting for them to be repulsed by the idea of sharing toothbrushes or for the next set of toothbrushes to be identical.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
16/365 - the new ride
Someone offered this for free on my email list! Needs a new battery, but I knew Reese would need her own car eventually.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
12/365 Owen - 7 months
That first birthday keeps creeping closer and closer! We're not crawling yet, but he goes diving from a sitting position for things regularly and ends up on all fours. It probably won't take him long to figure out how to start scooting. He already spins on his back (especially on the wood floors) and rolls and ends up across the room. I'm SO not ready for him to be mobile! We have a lot of baby proofing to do and teaching the kids to watch out for their small toys. I'll probably just put them all up for a while (the toys, not the kids. ;)
He's still very high energy, kicking his little legs and moving his arms constantly. He is also quite a verbal little thing. He just babbles all day long. He still enjoys napping in the swing, which I can hardly believe! I'm pretty sure it was up in the attic by this point with the older two kiddos. He's become quite the tummy sleeper at night! He's pretty good about sleeping through the night or putting himself back to sleep. I don't have to get up with him before 6 too often anymore. Another first!
He's still getting probably 95% of his nutrition from breastmilk. REFUSES to take a bottle. Isn't much into solids yet. He spits most of what we give him out. He seems to like everything he tries, but just isn't into eating very much of it.
He can still wear some of his 6-12 month clothes, but he fills out most of his 12-18 month stuff nicely! He's still in a size 3 diaper, which is amazing! We could probably move up to 4s anytime. We're still cloth diapering at home most of the time.
He's becoming more and more bored with the various entertainment seats around the house. Sometimes, he'll stay content for a few minutes in them. He can entertain himself with a toy on the floor for a while. His favorite spot, though, is in the backpack on my back. ;) This is usually how I get the chores done around the house.
He loves to laugh. His brother and sister love to act silly to make him laugh. He loves to be tickled and dance around the living room.
He's lost most of his baby hair, except for a mohawk on top. It looks like a little comb-over. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to hold off until his first birthday for a haircut! Still no sign of teeth. He has to have something in his mouth constantly, but he's done this since birth. Gabe didn't get teeth until 1 year, and Reese was 8 months, so we'll see.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
One step closer to being diaper-free
I think Reese is out of diapers for naps now. She's gone all week without an accident, including one FOUR-hour nap! She still needs one at night, but I'll take what I can get!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
10/365
Proudly wearing his new Family Zone t-shirt. The Family Zone is our church's Wednesday night children's program. They throw t-shirts into the crowd, and Gabe's been trying to catch one.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
9/365
Went outside to take the kids to school and found a dead car.
We decided to play outside in the yard, instead! We've decided to start making her wear her helmet anytime we're near hard surfaces.
He almost crashed right into me after this one.
Her first day of swim lessons!
We decided to play outside in the yard, instead! We've decided to start making her wear her helmet anytime we're near hard surfaces.
He almost crashed right into me after this one.
Her first day of swim lessons!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
7/365
I can't believe I've lasted a week! Just some random pics...
Loving the new doggies from Grammy:
Apparently, we need to buy her some clothes of her own! Here she is sporting Owen's pants and Gabe's shirt:
She can hold her own!
Loving the new doggies from Grammy:
Apparently, we need to buy her some clothes of her own! Here she is sporting Owen's pants and Gabe's shirt:
She can hold her own!
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