Tuesday, August 21, 2007

The Terrifying Teen Brain

Hello, F.O.T.E.'s,
As if on cue, I received a homeschooling magazine yesterday, with the cover story entitled, "The Myth of the Teen Brain." It was a very interesting read, especially since we've just become parents of a "teen." :-) I'm hoping the link will work, if it doesn't, please copy and paste the URL into your browser and take a look at this article.

http://drrobertepstein.com/pdf/Epstein%20-%20THE%20MYTH%20OF%20THE%20TEEN%20BRAIN%20-%20Scientific%20American%20Mind%20-%204-8-07.pdf



You could also go to http://www.thecaseagainstadolescence.com and click on the link to "The Myth of the Teen Brain."
I thought especially interesting was the study of Inuits in Canada. It showed a link between teen behavior and television viewing.
Ok...gotta run...
Y'all keep your wool dry,
The Ewe

Monday, August 20, 2007

Just the Quote, Ma'am

Tater Tot: "A mer-man teached me how to jump on one foot!"

This exclaimed as we were putting on his pants, and he discovered we had accidentally put both feet through the same leg. :-)

Oh, the Fearsome Fangs!!!

Just a quick news flash:

"Little Miss H Has Erupted!"

two teeth...both on the bottom middle...happened overnight.

:-)

She's nearly 9 mo...definitely the latest any of our lambies got their first teeth. So far, she hasn't bitten me. :-)

Ok...carry on...

The Ewe

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Happy Birthday, Lioness!

Hello, F.O.T.E.'s,
Ok, so, Lioness' birthday was actually nearly a month ago, but I am having a hard time getting to sleep...so I decided I'd tell you about L.L's Big Day.
Indeed, L.L. has turned 13. So far, the walls have not caved in. ;-) For the last couple years, we've heard tales of doom and gloom about The Day You Discover a TEENAGER in Your Home. LOL Obviously, we still have plenty of time left in the "teen years" (lol) but I refuse to roll over on my back and believe that my daughter has lost her mind for the next 7 years. No, I'm going to claim that she has been given a "spirit of power, a spirit of love and a sound mind." :-) (I know you're rolling your eyes at me, lol.)
Anyway, L.L. had wanted us to have a "Tea" for her new friends here in the Big City. So, we pulled out the hand crocheted table topper that my mother had done years ago, several China pieces that seldom see the light of day (yes, I *know* I ought to use them...just haven't gotten into the habit yet), and all the cookbooks, looking for dainty appetizers.
We took a trip to Hobby Lobby and Old Time Pottery to buy up a bunch of lacy doo dads and a punch bowl. Gotta have a punch bowl!!
Lovable worked our "tablescape" for us--she's got quite an eye for flower arranging.
Musical perfected her punch serving technique.
We all scurried around scrubbing this and that, shining the other.
The day of the Tea, The Ram took Tater out to The Farm to pick corn. They had a great time--found a tiny frog sitting on the leaf of a squash plant...and a rotten raccoon carcass at the end of a corn row. I'm told the stench was nearly overpowering. LOL
Anyway, back at The Fold, our guests arrived and snacked. The girls all played (I believe I counted 19 girls here!?) We Mamas chatted like crazy and sipped punch. (It was too hot outside--no one wanted tea, unless it was iced.)
We had requested on the invitations that no one bring gifts--it somehow seemed to me that gifts might "cheapen" a party like that, and could cause awkward moments...so, we asked each family to bring a recipe written out for L.L. to put into her scrapbook. Those are very special recipes to her. :-)
I gave her a "recipe journal" that we had found a couple months ago. It is blank, but I am systematically writing in it. I tell about a particular recipe--where I found it, etc--then write out the recipe. I have learned that handwritten recipes, all spattered and worn, are a real treasure.
Anyway, it was a beautiful day and I believe Lioness felt honored. Sure hope so. :-) If the walls start giving way, I'll try to shoot out a blog post to let you know what's going on. ;-)
Well, (yawn), the old brain's shutting down. Better haul myself into bed before I fall asleep here at the keyboard.
Y'all keep your wool dry,
The Ewe

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

The (Little) King and I

I've only got a minute...but I didn't want to forget this...


"We can't go to the beach...
'Cuz we're stuck...
In a hole...
In the middle of a desert island."

These are the lyrics that Tater Tot is singing, Bob Dylan style, while he strums the little child's guitar we found in the garage.


Also, this morning,


Tater: "Morgan, why don't you like the crust?"
Morgan: (nothing but silence)
Tater: "ANSWER IN MY HOUSE!!!!" yelled in King of Siam style

I could hardly believe he was being so rude! I fussed at him for being ugly to our guest. As he hugged me around the legs he sobbed, "But we DO have ants in our house!!!"

OOPS!!!!LOL

Email me if you don't get that. ;-)
Y'all keep your wool dry,
The Ewe

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Longing for 'Laska

Hello, FOTE's,
I'm a heat wimp. We're expecting another day with temps in the 100's, heat index around 110. ACK!!! I don't handle this well. I get testy. I hibernate. Ok, I'm just griping now--ignore me...
Hey! Guess what! We bought a DEhumidifier for our basement last weekend. I am astounded at how much water is in the air down there! We're emptying the tank on that thing (maybe a couple gallons?) every few hours. It's kind of unsettling to know we've been breathing that. LOL Of course, in the winter, we do all we can to put moisture *into* the air. Guess we're like cats--always on the wrong side of the door. :-)
The Amazing Miss H still has no teeth. She's 8 mo. She does like veggies and fruits, though. She just gums them to a pulp, lol. She has learned to clap her hands and we all enjoy watching that. Her mohawk (!) is growing out, so her hair is beginning to lie down...a bit. She's cruising around furniture and anything that will sit still long enough, including siblings. A couple of times she has stood, no hands, for a microsecond before falling down and hopping off. (She doesn't crawl--she hops like a frog.)
Tater spends his days foraging for food and transforming into "Scott the Dog." You never know when Scott will show up. At church Sunday, I turned around to discover Tater was gone and Scott was there. The Ram told Scott that if he (Scott) wanted to walk with him (The Ram) he (Scott) was going to have to walk on his hind legs.
Lovable is working on a new quilt. She's on the square-cutting-out phase.
Musical is really starting to read a lot. In family devotions last night, she impressed us all by reading the word "acknowledging." :-)
Lioness is tending a couple pots of turnips and broccoli on the back deck. She is collecting the worms that get on them for her Daddy. Ram plans on using the worm carcasses to create a spray to put on the plants to scare off any new worms. We're hoping the new ones "smell death."
Ok, well, the Lambs are beginning to rouse for the day. I need to gear up to "run herd."
Y'all keep your wool dry, (cool?)
The Ewe