madameblogalot

My daughter and I leave today for an extended trip overseas to visit my sister. The guys will be staying here holding down the home front. This is a first for our family. I am really torn. I am excited and looking forward to our trip, particularly the warm weather! At the same time, I am worried about the guys being “home alone”. I know it will be good, for all of us. I know it will be fun and something we will treasure always. So, in just a few hours, we’re off!

A friend of mine just told me she thinks they will be getting a house soon. She is very happy as she has three young kids of her own and now her teenaged stepson is living with them too. Now is a great time for their family to get a new house. I would think that the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit that is still available will really help them out as well. This young family is one for whom this kind of credit makes sense. They are a young family with both parents working and doing the best they can to provide for their kids. I know the $8000 credit will only benefit them. I hope this all works out for them!

While watching Texas Country Reporter last night, we came across a great program taking place not too very far from us. It is called Tour de Hood . Dr. Veon McReynolds has in effect started an inner city cycling club. This cycling group is for all ages and abilities. He has collected an array of bicycles and allows folks to come out on Saturday mornings for a ride. The ride is at an easy pace for everyone to enjoy. At the halfway point, there is a break for fruit and water. Helmets, bikes, snacks, and even t shirts to wear are all provide to participants at no cost. All are invited to join. You can bring your own bike if you prefer. And if you have a bike that is not working, you are invited to come on Fridays and they will help you fix it! Dr. McReynolds is also wanting to get a few three wheeled bikes so that senior citizens who don’t feel comfortable on a bicycle will still be able to join in the fun of each week’s ride.

For his birthday, my son’s only real request was a car. The one he has been driving has been on its last leg since it was flooded last April. It still has that wet car reek, and it doesn’t run well. We told him we could not nor would not get him another. Since then, the Jeep has pretty much quit. Even my husband agreed our son really should not drive it. So now my son is in the market to look at used cars. He has enough money in the bank to look for an affordable older car.

I found one website where you can search through the models you want, looking for used ford cars, used volkswagen cars or whatever other model you are interested in. Unfortunately for my son, these cars are located in the UK. But I know this type of service is very convenient for those who would benefit from such an easy search tool. I like how you can just get a quick look at the car and its info before having to contact the seller about it.

The Hollow Hills: I finished this second book in the Merlin trilogy this month. Again it was a good escape and I enjoyed reading the legend from Merlin’s point of view. I liked how the title resonated throughout the story. I would say this was a HIT for me.

The Last Enchantment: I also finished the last book in the Merlin trilogy this month. This part of the story did not captivate me quite as much and I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because I’m not familiar enough with the legend (I didn’t know about Merlin’s assistant-although my son did!) Or maybe it was all the editing errors in this edition. I find that so distracting. Although it’s a long book, there were several errors. I found it strange since I had been reading a large hard back copy which contained all three of the books in one edition (I did read The Crystal Cave in its own edition.) Overall, I still found myself wanting to get back to the story when I’d missed a couple of days. I guess I would rate it as a HIT too.

The City of Ember: My daughter and I watched this movie together. Although it was not outstanding, it was fun enough. My daughter liked the young girl who played in the movie. I thought the show was a little weird in spots but it was watchable and adventuresome enough for older kids. There was no bad language. And it did make me want to find the original book. So I guess that’s enough to make it a HIT for me.

Dancing at Lughnasa: I had never heard of this show before. Nor had I heard of the pagan holiday of Lughnasa. I was drawn into this version of the stage play put on by an area high school. I was impressed with the composure and maturity exuded by the young actors. And they did a pretty good job with the Irish accents as well. I found much of the show interesting and could relate to the character of the oldest sister maybe a little too much. I am not sure if the show is depressing or not. But I give this rendition a HIT.

Among the Impostors: This second book in the Shadow Children series is filled with mystery and plot twists. It is easy to read and easy to get absorbed into. My daughter was excited to get it from the library and finish it in just over an hour! Of course, then I had to read it! This story was also a HIT with me.

Among the Betrayed: Not much more than an hour after finishing the second Shadow Children book, my daughter finished this one and asked what the next one is! This book was a bit confusing at the beginning, as the story continues to twist and turn on itself. My daughter and I both found it a HIT.

The Wicked Day: I finished the last book in the Arthur series. This one has little to do with Merlin and finishes the story about Arthur and Mordred, again told from a different point of view from most Arthurian legends. I did not know much about the end of the saga so was interested in reading this. Though I am not sure where the differences lie in this retelling, the author states that she approaches the story telling it with a view as to why and how Mordred became Arthur’s bane and doom. I agree with the author in the fact that the way Arthur is portrayed in the end (of the legend) seems to nearly contradict what he had been before. I also learned that about the real Mordred, very little is said and that most of what is said about him in surviving legend is simply made up and romanticized (incidentally, that is the case too with the character Lancelot whose real name was Bediver or Bedwyn.) Again I was able to lose myself in the story. Overall, I guess I would call it a HIT as well.

The Other Side of Heaven: is a movie about a Mormon missionary to Tonga in the 1950s. The story was fine, interesting even. And the scenery breath taking. But there were some things I just questioned as to how accurate they were. I know Hollywood often takes liberties in these kinds of movies. But I questioned things like the clothes worn by the natives and how they got certain items. And the storm towards the end of the show was overdone. The show was neither a HIT or a MISS with me.

Among the Barons: This next in the Shadow Children series is again filled with mystery and plot twists. I really enjoyed this next installment of the story. I rate it as a HIT.

Among the Brave: Seems as if we are flying through this kids’ series.
This book made me think of the Nazis, Again, I like the twists in the story. I do wonder though how the adults all listen to the kids! At any rate, I still rate it a HIT.

The Screwtape Letters: The stage production of C.S. Lewis’ book is absolutely excellent! Max McLean did an outstanding job, as did Karen Eleanor Wright. I love the way the set was done. I would love to see this production again. This one was a big HIT with my entire family.

As part of yesterday’s Martin Luther King Jr.’s day of observance, there was a group of protestors gathering to speak out against Planned Parenthood’s largest center opening soon in Houston. Part of the protest was about the abortion services provided by the organization, while the other side of the argument stated the group was targeting minorities (based on the location of the new facility.)

I have long teetered between the services Planned Parenthood provides. I think we should all be cognizant of “planning parenthood” and know that everyone is not. I did find it interesting that the protestors say the center is targeting minorities.

I think that no matter what ethnic group you belong to, you should be able to have access to full disclosure of information regarding your health care and the options available. Sort of like the site I saw providing disclosure of yaz side effects. There are lots of women using these types of pills. Full testing is difficult with birth control pills. And these kinds of pills are not always used to prevent pregnancies (some girls use them to control acne.) No matter the case, I think that side effects should be made known to people using any product, no matter the ethnic group, no matter the socioeconomic group, no matter the place they are in life. It is imperative in cases like this that people be able to make an informed decision.

I get a weekly parenting newsletter. This past week the author had a little tidbit inserted that caught my attention. She said “There’s a statistic I once read which stated that your child will confide in you at the age of seventeen 10% of what he’d shared with you at age seven.”

I don’t know if I agree completely with that. I think it’s likely less than 10%! Maybe that is because my seventeen year old is a boy. Maybe it’s because at age seven he was homeschooled and home with me all day. Maybe it’s that I’ve pushed too hard or he is just testing his wings. I don’t know.

But I do know that there is a very big difference in 7 and 17!

I always find it funny to explain words to my kids and then hear them learn to use them. I told my daughter that something was “sappy” the other day. She’d not heard that one and asked what it meant. Like any good mom, I told her to look it up (which is really easy on the new computer!) Here is what she read out to me:

“sappy-oversentimental, mawkish”

I liked the description and told her that I did want to “mock” the thing I’d been talking about. She corrected me then and told me the word she’d read out was m-a-w-k-i-s-h. I didn’t know that one. So…we looked it up too. Here is what we found:

“mawkish-sentimental in a feeble or sickly way”

She loved it! She said she can’t wait to use it the next time she sees any PDA going on!!

We have always worried about money. But the end of the year always seems to magnify these worries. And with college looming on the horizon, the worries seem to be more frequent. As if that is not enough, one worry that we always face is no retirement. There is no retirement plan for those in my husband’s chosen life work (at least not a physical retirement plan!) So when we think of our years left on earth after we get through raising kids, it seems fairly daunting. I have heard about Annuities. Since I don’t understand what they are really all about, I was glad to find a website to help explain them! I was even able to see the different annuity calculators they provide. I think it will take more time for me to understand this option, but at least I can browse the site at my leisure. It even provides the disadvantages some face by using annuities.

Do all parents feel “blue in the face” at times? I cannot believe how much my kids “forget” or “don’t hear”. Maybe it really is just ineffectual parenting skills. But recently my brother-in-law said something interesting. He said you really cannot convince someone of something, no matter how long you talk. The more I think about that, especially regarding my kids, I am inclined to believe he’s right!

I can lecture and talk and persuade and cajole and beg all day long. But can I ever really convince them of the thing I am talking about? From large things to small, from the virtues of making their bed to making good grades to saving sex until marriage, just how much influence does all my talk and teaching gain in respect to their chosen behaviors?

And if that is the case, why I am wasting my breath? Yes, I believe it’s my responsibility, my obligation to teach them what is right, what I value, what I believe. But in the end it is up to them to choose for themselves and act upon their own choices. So just what is the role of teachers, preachers, parents, mentors?

I am still struggling with that theory. As for now, I see that my kids’ behaviors are their own and they are making their own choices no matter what I teach them. As for me, I guess I will still keep talking until I am blue in the face.