Among the .....

I 've started reading a series of books by Margaret Peterson Haddix, Among the Shadows, Among the Imposters, Among the Betrayed, Among the Barons, and 3 or 4 more.  These "Among" books are written for middle school children and aren't very long, but I find myself pondering some pretty heavy topics after I've read them.  The US has gone through droughts and famine and as a result families are only allowed to have 2 children.  The law has only been in effect for about 14 years.  Many families have had 3 or more children and these become the shadow children.  They have to hide because it is an automatic death sentence for them and their families if they are discovered.  Some of the topics I've been thinking about are obvious - forced sterilization of women after their 2nd child, a culture that makes pregnancy out to be unattractive and disgusting, abortion, birth control, etc.  But other topics are less obvious.  One thing the kids do to survive is get fake IDs so that they can come out of hiding.  So I've been pondering ... when is it acceptable to deceive or lie?  I was once involved in a theoretical discussion about this various topic.  If you were living during WWII and the Nazi's came to your door and you were hiding people of the Jewish faith, would you lie to protect them?  Or would you be honest and accept the consequences?  Would you allow yourself and your family to die and condem other innocent families to die?  Or would you lie and perhaps add straw to the camel's back toward your own eternal damnation?  Who knows the mind of God?  Would you be forgiven because you were protecting someone else or does all deception count the same no matter what?  And this is all brought up in my mind because these children and their families are taught to lie the day the kids are born.  As a Catholic birth control is verbotten - so if I lived in that society would I follow the laws of my Church or the laws of the land? 

books

Gman and I have been reading a ton of books.  Picture and chapter books for him, young adult and other stuff for me.  We've come across some great stuff.

 

Gman fell in love with The Black Stallion and the Narnia books.  He was so enthralled with The Black Stallion that he would ask for it when it wasn't time for our nightly read.  He got so excited at certain points that he couldn't lay down and listen, he had to bounce on his knees.  And with all the Narnia books, we read them for bedtime as well.  One Saturday the whole family was wondering what was going to happen next in the last book, The Last Battle and we were just going to read one more chapter, but then we ended up reading the whole thing.  Gman sat still for 2 hours enthralled with the story.

 

I've read a several really great books.  Testimony of Two Men, Pillars of the Earth, and Still Alice [the last about a woman with Alzheimer's].  My favorite so far has been Left Neglected about a woman who suffers a brain injury and becomes unable to perceive things to her left.  She's not blind or deaf on the left, she just doesn't remember that it's there.  This is apparently a read neurological thing that can happen.  The book was written by a neurologist [or neurosurgeon, I can't remember which] and I found the whole clinical aspect of it fascinating, but not nearly as great as the story about how the family grows and changes for the better from having to deal with this issue.

Musclebones

I threw out my back and Gman has been "treating" me.  He's gone with me a few times to the chiropractor and he also thinks he's my doctor.  When I have aches and pains he brings me wet kleenex to put on my "owie" or he squeezes my muscles and I pretend it hurts and then he has to fix it.  It's very cute.  Last night he decided to fix my back [where i have a herniated disk] by pressing on it.  It didn't hurt because he has little pipe cleaner arms.  Plus, even if it had hurt a bit I would still let him do it just because it amuses me that he thinks he's my doctor.  But, thankfully it didn't hurt, although I did pretend to be in some discomfort.  He gave me blankie [his precious] and told me nothing would hurt while I snuggled blankie [who's a girl].  Then he proceeded to treat my "musclebones".  Just about the cutest thing I've heard lately and he does say some cute things.  When he was done with a variety of treatments [including making me do some exercises - which he drew on his chalk board and then pointed out with a marker just like a teacher] not only did he let me snuggle blankie, he volunteered to let me suck his sucky finger [index finger].  I thanked him but declined that privilege.  He did rub his finger against my mouth to show me the dry desicated part that he likes best.  It was weirdly touching.

 

Today is picture day at school.  Last year they didn't have anyone to take pictures, but thankfully, this year we do.  He looked so cute in his uniform this morning with his little plaid tie and sweater.

Spring Break Fun

Gman is on Spring Break this week.  He and his dad had an outing to a train museum today.  Yesterday they went to 2 WHOLE HARDWARE STORES!!!!  Gman loves riding on the tractors and visiting the hammers.  I ended up with 4 dogwood trees and a cherry tree [to pollinate my current cherry tree].

 

He's been saying funny things again.  I woke him up the other morning and all day, to both me and his father, he kept grouching that I'd "ruined his dream".  He apparently was having a lovely dream and my waking him up destroyed it.  Bad Mama!

 

We were taking a walk the other day and he looked up at me and said, "Mama, my legs are weary."  I don't think I've used the word "weary" since I learned to spell it in 3rd grade and I have to admit, I'm still not sure if that's the right way to spell it.  What 5 year old says these things!

these days

Gman has been in a great mood these days.  Maybe it's something about getting out and playing now that it's spring.  He hasn't been getting in trouble in school and he's been more agreeable at home.

 

The other day Tom was driving him to school when an ambulance drove past, siren blaring, and Gman began positing reasons a person might need an ambulance.

 

"Maybe someone broke their arm, Dad." 

"Sure, Son, that could be what happened."

"Maybe someone broke their leg."

"That's another good reason."

"Maybe someone got real sick and needs an operation." 

"Sure."

"Or maybe they're just drunk."

 

Due to a circumcision that didn't heal the right way, we've been having to put goop on the boy's private parts.  Each time we do it he tells up we like torturing kids.  His face is so sincere and mad and he just looks so fierce as he accuses me of enjoying torturing him that it's hard not to smile which only gets me in more trouble.  Of course I don't enjoy the whole process because I love him immensely and hate to see him uncomfortable let alone in pain, but the look on his face is priceless.

 

On the way to school this morning a cement mixer was getting ready to pour a patch of concrete for a street.  Naturally the boys were thrilled, but also very sad because, well, they were on the way to school and couldn't really stop to watch the whole process.  As they drove on Gman was talking about how great it would be to be able to watch the whole process.  Dad agreed.

 

Gman: "It would be even better if we lived on the street.  That way we'd be right there."

Dad:    "And we wouldnt' be in the way and we could see the whole thing." [not sure that Gman wouldn't want to get in the way and 'help'

Gman: "That would be great, Dad."

Dad:    "And we could set up some lawn chairs and watch from the comfort of our own house."

Gman: "And we could make some popcorn and it would be just like watching a movie!" - only little boys would equate the pouring of concrete with watching a movie, I'd liken it more to watching paint dry.  But that's the great thing about having a dad who was once a boy, he remembers what it was like and how great it is to see those construction trucks in action.  We had a telledine deliver some bricks the other day and Tom mentioned there was a forklift at our house while Gman was at school.  You would have thought he missed seeing one of the seven wonders of the world.  He was crushed, but he got over it when they saw the cement mixer.  Maybe they'll be lucky and see an excavator at work on the way home.

 

Tom is going to build a small retaining wall in the front of the house and yesterday he spent the day digging up the trench he needs.  When Gman got home from school, instead of playing, he wanted to help Dad dig.  So Tom would break the soil with his big shovel and Gman would dig out portions with his little one, natually wearing his yellow gloves with the caterpillars on them [AKA his "work" gloves] and his bright green, smiley face rain boots.  He was adorable.  And he had to give me a "tour" and show me where he had been digging and then he gave one to each of his sisters in turn.  He was quite entertaining.  "and here's where I was digging.  You can tell because it's so straight.  And here's where the bricks are, I helped Dad unload the wheelbarrow." and on and on.  Like the time he was giving the girl's uncle a tour of the house...."and here's the basement.  It's not very exciting."  Like it was his own little fiefdom.  Well today when he left for school he asked Dad not to build the wall without him.  He was very sad to hear that Dad had to get it down, but was cheered up at the thought that there was the whole other side of the wall to dig out yet.  I'm sure I'll be getting a tour of that as well.

not off to a good start

Well, I've been meaning to post. I've been meaning to do a lot of things. I don't do well in the season after Christmas. You'd think my depression would be when it starts getting dark longer, but instead mine is when it starts getting light earlier. Go figure. I was an awful mom to poor Gman. I know that at least twice I let him watch movie after movie while I slept on the couch. There will be days in Purgatory for that little bit of neglect and poor parenting. I'm sorry Gman. I love that boy so much I really hate it when I have a parenting fail.

What have we been up to lately. N and J rented a house just 2 1/2 blocks from us which has their little brother absolutely excited. He loves to go and see them. He likes to hang out with the "big kids". We gave them our couches and dining room set. The dining room set was relatively easy to replace even though it will take a long time to get because it's made from all wood. In fact, I ordered it before they even had my old set out of the house. Got a great deal on it too. It's smaller than my old set which will hopefully open up the room more. The couches were another story. I gave them away 3-5-11 and I think I started to regret it 3-6-11 12:00 AM. 3 weeks I have been searching for couches. 3 weeks without anything to sit in but 2 old recliners - and when you're used to sprawling on the couch that gets old quick. We found the couch last week but I couldn't commit. I was looking for something red. I don't know why, except that my house is decorated in neutral colors and I wanted something bright. So we've gone to almost every furniture store in the city and sat on just about every couch available. I was really disgusted with some of the stores that have online sites. I would see something I liked online, go to the store and they wouldn't have it there to try out. Heaven knows I was not going to buy a couch without sitting on it. One saleslady actually told me that they have free shipping to the store. What? I'm going to order expensive couches, have them delivered to the store, come in, sit on it and then decided it's not comfortable and return it. No thank you. That makes no sense. I'd still be buying couches 6 months from now. So last week we found a few that were doable. Not great, not exciting, but doable. This weekend Tom told me to go out and buy couches, pick from the ones we'd liked or go somewhere new but his thought was that they were all pretty much the same. He was right. I finally went to the last place we had been the weekend before and bought the couch he seemed to like the most. Trena Pewter, Ashley Homestore, if you're interested. I bought them Saturday, found recliners I liked to go with them [recliners not ordered yet, waiting for the eventual coupon they send every month], saw some end tables that were pretty, by Monday, Tom picked up the couches and they were waiting for me when I got home yesterday. 2 days from purchase to having comfy couches that Gman loves. Easier to snuggle blankey on the couch than in a recliner. Still don't have the dining room table.

In the meantime, we've been reading. Gman is up to 70 - 75 books read to him so far this year. That's not bad for the first 3 months of the year. I'm only on #11 and I want to read 111 this year. 111 books in year 2011. I keep track of what we've been reading over at www.librarything.com if anyone is interested in seeing what we've read and my thoughts on it. Additionally it is Lent and I have given up reading fiction for my sacrifice. Since I am addicted to brain candy it seemed like a good idea to try and get more thoughtful, spiritually uplifting or even just something that gave me knowledge instead of inanity. So far I haven't read a single book. I'm working on it though. Stayed up to 1 AM last night reading UNPLANNED by Abby Johnson. She was a director of a Planned Parenthood clinic, saw an ultrasound guided abortion and became devoutly pro-life. Very, very interesting and intense book.

We also have Gman's school fundraiser coming up - The Jog-a-thon. He isn't old enough yet to run laps for money, not until next year. But we've been raising money by soliciting lump sums from family and friends. I think he's raised over $300 so far. Every kid at the school except the Preschoolers has a goal of $300, so the fact that he has no goal this year and still managed to make it to the mark gives me hope for next year. We're trying to raise $20,000 for the school. I think we're really far from our school goal so far. But we still have a month to go and that's usually when the impetus kicks in. I tried to have a trivia night but no one was intested. Oh well, maybe next year something smaller, like at the school with bring your own everything.

FW: LET'S PLAY FAMILY FEUD

Let's Play Family Feud!!  YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO USE MY ANSWERS - YOU MUST USE DIFFERENT ONES!   1.  Name something you use in the shower - soap 2. Something people hate to find on their windshield – bug poop 3. Name something a man might buy before a date - wine 4. What is something you might cook in the microwave - soup 5. Name a reason a younger man might like an older woman - money 6.Name an item found in a mans pocket - wallet 7. Name something a dog does that embarrasses its owner – rubbing butt on carpet 8. Name a kind of test you cannot study for  - surprise  9.Name a phrase with the word 'home' in it –  hometown 10. Name a sport where players lose teeth – hockey 11. Name something a teacher can do to ruin a good day:  test 12. Name a fruit that isn't round - avocado 13. Name a bird you wouldn't want to eat - eagle 14. Name something a person wears even if it has a hole in it –  underwear 15. Name something that gets smaller the more you use it – bank account 16. Name the person that is most likely to respond: - unknown