Mommy Brain

I think I’m recovered from our day-long Silverwood extravaganza. Did I mention that we left at 8:30 am and didn’t return until 10 pm? I’m looking forward to Tuesday, which - in spite of being our fifth day of school - will feel like our first day of school and life will begin to return to normal. Whatever that is.

Lots of exciting things happening in the news lately. Obama gives a darn good speech; McCain announces a surprise VP pick. And me? I’m still ambivalent about the whole thing. I’m musing over a post - that will probably be very long - about the whole presidential thing. Probably sometime this week, if I find the time to get the thoughts out of my head and into some kind of organized format.

But, for now, I promised you links - and do I have a bunch!

~ Entertainment Weekly counts down their top 25 Sci-Fi movies and TV series since 1982.

~ Speaking of sci-fi, Battlestar Galactica may be ending, but there are two projects in the planning stages that will continue the franchise.

~ Don’t Try This At Home has posted another hilarious video for her Sunday YouTube, called “Things You Don’t Say to Your Wife.”

~ Regardless of how you feel about either presidential candidate, I think this ad that McCain ran on the night Obama received the nomination was pretty classy.

~ For all of you fellow homeschooling moms who are beginning another year, I give you I Will Survive.

~ Any fans of Nathan Fillion from Firefly? He’s set to appear in a midseason series on ABC.

~ Update: Angie Hunt just commented to let me know that this video is a hoax. Sure looked real! I’m not a big fan of cell phones. Yes, I have one, and I use it very rarely - maybe twice a week. It’s simply a tool for emergencies or cases when I must reach someone and I’m not near a phone. I prepay for my minutes, so I don’t chat away on it. I don’t even know how to send a text message. I think a lot of people are very rude in how they use their cell phones - an opinion that was reinforced at a recent playdate at the park when one of the other moms proceeded to text message her teenage daughter and her mother for the entire hour she was there. She then stood up and informed the rest of us that she had lots to do and had to be going. Sigh. Anyway, this video reinforces my reasoning for not using my cell phone very often - and for not buying one for my tween daughter. It’s frankly a little scary. Hat tip: Angela Hunt.

~ Time has an amazing photo gallery from the Olympics. Some of the pictures are truly stunning.

~ Note to self: If ever in Japan, avoid the trains. Shudder.

At Books and Movies this week:

~ Review of Half-*ssed: A Weight-Loss Memoir

~ Review of The Devil’s Arithmetic

~ Reading Questionnaire

~ Teaser Tuesday

~ The Sunday Salon

~ Review of The Cross-Time Engineer

~ And, there is still time to enter to win Guernica

We just got back from the fair and I’m pooped. I’ve been entertained out this summer, I think. Vacation was wonderful - so fun - but I have no desire to do anything else. I want to start school and have normal life back! But, that won’t happen until after Tuesday, because on Tuesday, I’m taking the kids here. I don’t want to. at. all. But, the kids read their 10 hours each (over and above normal school reading time) to earn their free tickets, so I kinda half to, or I’d be a really mean mommy. Sigh.

I am really looking forward to tomorrow night. All three boys are going for a sleepover at Michelle’s house in honor of her Jacob’s birthday, and Natalie is heading south to Grandma and Papa’s for the night. So Kevin and I are going to go out to dinner and have an evening all to ourselves. Then Saturday afternoon, he’s taking Josiah on an overnight camping trip, just the two of them. It’s Josiah’s turn for time with Daddy.

It’s been a great week, book-wise. I received a review copy of…

The Grift by Debra Ginsberg

…and an ARC of…

The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway.

I also ordered the first four books in the History Lives series, which are books for young readers that tell the history of the church from St. Paul through John Wesley. (Book 5 continues the story from there, and is due out later this year.) Westminster Books has the first four books for only $25.17 - 30% off! The series is written by Brandon and Mindy Withrow, whose blog I’ve enjoyed for a couple of years now. Anyway, I’m going to read these aloud to the kids for part of our Bible studies.

Well, Kevin’s come upstairs and wants to watch a DVD, so I better get to the links.

~ Angela Hunt posted this Urban Legend Amalgam. If you’ve ever received a forwarded e-mail, you gotta click over.

~ Confused baby sea turtles - I would have loved to be there for this!

~ If you’ve read or heard anything about the “revival” going on in Lakeland, Florida, this is a must-read.

On April 3, 2008 Canadian evangelist Todd Bentley was invited to speak to the Ignited Church of Lakeland, FL. Though he was only scheduled to be there for 5 days, he remained for 3 months during what he considered to be the biggest pentecostal revival since the Azusa Street revival. To put it mildly, the “Lakeland revival” has been controversial. Claims of people being raised from the dead? Violent healing? Now it appears Bentley is stepping down after filing for separation from his wife and admitting to an inappropriate relationship with another woman…

(snip)

Yet, when I see things like this, it is just hard not to ask: does anyone still have a Bible and some common sense?

Let me add: I do not think this is a Pentecostal issue. That is why the title is, “Evangelical Gullibility.”

In other words, all kinds of Christians are forwarding emails about the FCC’s phony plan to ban religious braoadcasting, signing up to have emails sent to the loved ones after the rapture, and watching Christian television for its theological depth. For that matter, I have just as many odd people come up to me with “something they discovered in the Bible that no one has ever noticed” after I speak at a Baptist, Wesleyan, of non-denominational meeting as I do when I speak at a Pentecostal one. Furthermore, many Pentecostals and Charismatics HAVE expressed concern about this movement– including some when I visit the Assemblies of God office a couple of weeks ago.

I just have to wonder with Grady if Christians really are just gullible.

~ If you need some Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince buzz to tide you over until the movie’s (new) release date of July 17th, EW has an article with some scoop about the film.

~ Why is it that Dan Brown could publish The Da Vinci Code, a fictional novel which offended many Christians by stating that Jesus was married and had kids, but Harper Collins won’t publish a fictional novel about one of Mohammed’s wives?

“Random House made the decision to cancel its US publication of the novel ‘The Jewel of Medina’ after much deliberation and with great reluctance,” a statement from the publisher sent to AFP said.

“The decision was based on advice from scholars of Islam, among several creditable sources, that publication of this book might be offensive to some in the Muslim community and could incite acts of violence by a small, radical segment.”

~ If you want to watch a slideshow and some video clips of our vacation, head over to Kevin’s site.

~ Hey - it turns out I’m raising three future surgeons.

~ This video of the a cappella group Naturally 7 is pretty awesome.

~ It’s time to sign up for this year’s Pizza Hut Book-It Program.

~ Homeschool stereotypes vs. public school realities - a must-read at Principled Discovery.

At Books and Movies this week:

~ The Sunday Salon

~ Musing Mondays

~ Teaser Tuesdays

~ Review of The Great Debaters

~ Booking Through Thursday

Drop whatever you’re doing and go watch it now. I mean it, now. Go. What are you waiting for?

This week involved a lot of driving: to and from basketball camp every day, to the dentist, grocery shopping, etc. I love my “new” minivan, but I’m hoping not to spend as much time in it next week! That hope is in vain, though, since VBS starts Monday.

I’m sitting in a quiet house right now. Kevin and all three boys are at archery, and Natalie is at a slumber party. Now that Josiah has decided to take archery, too, I will have every Thursday evening all by my lonesome. Woot!

Kevin and the boys are going camping tomorrow. After Nan’s last day of basketball camp tomorrow, she and I will have a girls’ night and watch 27 Dresses. Saturday, we will head to the lake for Noah’s birthday celebration. Monday, VBS starts…. Things don’t look to slow down any time soon. Sigh.

~ How to Recognize a Blond Antelope. Hat tip: Angela Hunt.

~ For all of you who have sons who have ever asked: What Happens When You Go Number Two in Space. Hat tip: Challies.

~ You know how I’ve been raving about Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series? I’m reading her other novel, The Host, right now - and it’s shaping up to be a great read, too. You can enter to win an entire Stephenie Meyer library at Maw Books Blog.

~ A soldier finds a way to stay sane in Iraq.

~ Amazing pictures of ovulation. Hat tip: A Quiet Simple Life.

~ Don’t forget to enter my Gone giveaway.

~ Speaking of giveaways, Booking Mama is giving away a copy of The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton.

~ Video interview with Neil Gaiman, author of Neverwhere, Coraline, and Anansi Boys.

Here’s what I’ve been blogging at Books and Movies this week:

~ Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - the kids and I went to see it over the weekend.

~ I reviewed Life Studies: Stories by Susan Vreeland.

~ The AFI’s 10 Top 10 Special.

So, last week we bought a “new” (to us) mini-van. Today, we made an offer on a house. Yes, life has been interesting here at the Mommy Brain household. The offer is, of course, contingent on selling our home. We haven’t heard back from the sellers yet, so we’re still waiting, fingers crossed.

It has been a dream to move into a bigger house for a while now. Our home is fairly small, and the bigger the kids get, the smaller it seems. Not to mention only having one bathroom, and a girl about to turn twelve… The house we put an offer on has four bedrooms, 2.5 baths (about which Natalie exclaimed, “Half our family could be going at the same time!”), central AC, large living room, large family room downstairs, laundry on the main floor, and a fully remodeled kitchen with gorgeous hickory cabinets. I loved it the first time I saw it, but I’m trying not to get my heart set on it. A log of hoop-jumping must occur before it could be ours. Prayers would be appreciated - especially for our house to sell quickly.

I need to get some deep-cleaning done - which doesn’t happen very often during our homeschool year - but won’t be able to do much this weekend. My nephews, Peter and Andrew, are coming in the morning to spend the weekend. It has been our pleasure to have the boys for at least one weekend a year while Marni and Hans have some much-needed alone-time. This weekend is especially meaningful, since it will be the last time we will have them before Marni and Hans move to St. Louis this summer. Sunday afternoon, we will celebrate Andrew’s 4th birthday at Mom and Dad’s house. If I have any energy left at all, I’m planning to take the kids to see Prince Caspian on Monday afternoon; it actually came to our little rural theater the first weekend it opened! Anyone else planning to see it this weekend?

The oldest three kids have started archery on Thursday nights. Their Tae Kwon Do instructor offers archery once a week after junior class during the summer. Tonight was their first class, and they came home full of excitement - and an argument about whether Legolas or Robin Hood would win an archery competition.

~ I received another freelancing assignment - this one a (slightly) paid blogging gig at Today.com. My blog there is called Books and Movies - head on over if you feel like it. You’ll see some repeat posts about books, but most of the posts there will be strictly entertainment based, and I am planning to liveblog Lost tonight. (Yes, I know the title of this post is “Links for Friday,” but I have more time to post in the evenings, and once I have it written, I might as well publish it for all of you night owls out there, right?) The paid part of this assignment is partially based on traffic, so any clicks or links would be highly appreciated - and I promise not to mention it here too often, for fear of self-advertising.

~ Robin at MartinZoo posted this adorable video. See if you can get “Hey, Jude” out of your head after watching it.

~ This comic could easily happen at our house.

~ Armchair Commentary has posted the Top 5 Celebrity Gap Commercials. I never knew that was Claire Danes!

~ Randy Alcorn is giving away three copies of his new novel Deception. I haven’t read it yet, but I loved Deadline and Dominion - the first two books in the series.

~ Kamp Krusty has a unique idea to fix the environment.

~ I’ve probably posted this before, but you have to check out the Literature Map. Enter the name of a favorite author, and up will pop a map of other author’s names. The closer to your author, the more they are similar. Pretty cool.

Well, that’s all for now. Enjoy your weekend!

It’s been one of those kind of weeks: raging hormones, a squabble with the neighbor, squabbles with my husband, sad news from a friend. Not the kind of week I’d like to repeat anytime soon. So, instead of dwelling on it, I’ll get right to the links.

~ Anyone else looking forward to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? I can’t wait - May 22nd. To tide you over, here’s an interview about Indy 4 with Harrison Ford and an interview with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.

~ Speaking of movies, Ben Stein’s Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed is already showing in theaters. I have not seen it yet, but we plan to watch it on DVD. I read a terrific editorial by Brent Bozell III - a man who confessed he didn’t want to even see the movie. He writes not only about the film, but about the backlash from the atheists Mr. Stein interviewed in the film. Here’s a snippet to grab your attention:

“I went into the screening bored. I came out of it stunned.

Ben Stein’s extraordinary presentation documents how the worlds of science and academia not only crush debate on the origins of life, but also crush the careers of professors who dare to question the Darwinian hypothesis of evolution and natural selection….

It’s understood that God had nothing to do with the origins of life on Earth. What, then, is the alternate explanation? Stein asks these experts, and their very serious answers are priceless. One theorizes that life began somehow on the backs of crystals. Another states electric sparks from a lightning storm created organic matter (out of nothing). Another declares that life was brought to Earth by aliens. Anything but God….

Everyone should take the opportunity to see “Expelled” — if nothing else, as a bracing antidote to the atheism-friendly culture of PC liberalism. But it’s far more than that. It’s a spotlight on the arrogance of this movement and its leaders, a spotlight on the choking intolerance of academia, and a spotlight on the ignorance of so many who say so much, yet know so very little.”

~ Do you have an opinion on the Harry Potter copyright lawsuit?

~ Anyone who has taken small children out to eat at a restaurant will appreciate this Baby Blues comic.

~ It appears that memoirists aren’t the only authors who fib. Travel authors apparently write about places they’ve never even visited.

~ Natalie and I just finished reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick - and we both found it delightful. This web site has some videos of the item that helped to inspire Selznick’s story. (If you haven’t read it yet and plan to, you might want to wait to check this web site as it will include a slight spoiler.)

~ The kids and I came across this wonderful site during our studies of the water cycle. Be sure to click on gallery to see photos taken with a special snowflake photomicroscope.

~ Moomin Light has an interesting and disturbing post about the practice of airbrushing photos of celebrities. Be sure and check out the link to examples from a company who does this work. The celebrities who are gorgeous enough without the touch-ups end up looking like mannequins.

That’s all for this week. Here’s to a weekend that’s better than the week was.

It seems spring has finally sprung in our neck of the woods. The snow is all gone, and we’ve had some sunny days. Of course, on Sunday when I was overly optimistic and took the boys to the skate park, I froze. The sun was out, but the breeze was still frigid. A few more weeks, though, and we should be able to pack away the sweatshirts and bring out the t-shirts.

I’ve had more time to read this week, since my freelancing has dried up for a few months (unless I pick up another client, of course). Anna Karenina has finally grabbed me - it sure took awhile! I also finished listening to the audiobook of Blasphemy by Douglas Preston. It was a good sci-fi thriller, but it was sure apparent that he has a very low opinion of Christians. Or maybe just Christians in the media. Sadly enough, the horrible things that the televangelist and other “Christian” characters do in the book seem altogether plausible given the state of the church, which is terrible to admit, but true.

I started listening to Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman. Usually, I do not like it when authors read their own books on audio. I put up with Frank Peretti’s reading of Monster, although it was extremely exaggerated; I could not listen to Elizabeth Berg read her Dream While You’re Feeling Blue. If you’re an author, you should never read your own book aloud unless you have been assured repeatedly (by people not on your payroll) that you are a terrific read-aloud-er; just don’t do it. Gaiman, on the other hand, is a wonderful reader. You can tell that he loves words; he seems to taste each one as he speaks it. I read his Coraline aloud to the kids (we all loved it) and I tried to read American Gods, but couldn’t get past the graphic nature of it. Michelle read Ananzi Boys, though, and assured me it was completely different, so I guess he’s one of those authors who writes a completely different book each time. Fragile Things is a collection of short stories and poems, and so far I’m enjoying it very much. Anyone else read any of his work?

~ Hey, it’s not a rumor! The New Kids on the Block are reuniting for a CD and a tour. The music of my high school years.

~ Poetry180 is a web site sponsored by the Library of Congress. It contains a list of 180 poems - one for each day of a school year. The poems are meant for high schoolers, and I haven’t read them all, so definitely pre-read before sending your students there.

~ This Grand Avenue comic should give fans of math and art alike a few chuckles.

~ The Telegraph has an interview with author Jodi Picoult.

~ Lawanda is celebrating her 3rd Blogoversary - head over, congratulate her, and enter to win a free book.

I am nobody.
I hide in myself,
Velvet-lined
Against the cold stares
Of the world.

I am nobody.
I keep away from the hatred,
Stone-clad
Against those who mock
And deride.

I am nobody.
I remain in darkness,
Wool-insulated
Against the pain
Of their contempt.

But when I am asleep
I am somebody.
Stripped naked
Of all the trappings of myself.
An empress of lands of plenty,
With sackfuls of love, respect
And self-worth.

So please,
Let me sleep.

Author’s Note: I wrote this poem in empathy with anyone who suffers at the eyes of others whether disabled, depressed or just a bit sad. My nights are filled with such joy travelling the worlds beyond wakefulness and I wish such release for everyone who needs it.

~ The above poem was written by this amazing 10-year-old girl who has cerebral palsy. My mom e-mailed about her after she saw her story on ABC News. Be sure to click on the link to read her essay that won the Times Educational Supplement Write Away Competition in Jan. 2006. She’s truly remarkable.

People in Glass Houses

I build my house of shining glass
of crystal
prisms
light, clear,
delicate.
The wind blows
Sets my rooms to singing.
The sun’s bright rays
are not held back
but pour
their radiance through the rooms
in sparkles of delight.

And what, you ask, of rain
that leaves blurred muddy streaks
across translucent purity?
What, you ask,
of the throwers of stones?

Glass shatters,
breaks,
sharp fragments pierce my flesh,
darken with blood.
The wind tinkles brittle splinters
of shivered crystal.
The stones crash through.

But never mind.
My house
My lovely shining
fragile broken house
is filled with flowers
and founded on a rock.

~ from The Ordering of Love: The New and Collected Poems of Madeleine L’Engle

How’s your April going so far? Did anyone prank you on the first?

We started into our normal week on Tuesday after a long weekend of visiting with family, and it was hard. We had such a great time visiting, but it made for a very busy few days and none of us were ready to jump into school on Tuesday morning. It didn’t help that the rest of the neighborhood kids were all out playing, since this was the public school system’s Spring Break.

It also didn’t help things when I realized I’ve been too lax about doing history this year and we won’t finish by June, and will be continuing with history through the summer if we want to finish The Story of the World II: The Middle Ages in time to start book 3 in September. Sigh. Oh, well, at least we’ve been enjoying what we have learned and the kids seem to be retaining names and people groups well, if not exact dates.

After last weekend, I’m really craving a few days of down time, but I won’t be getting it. Saturday, Noah and Natalie will go through promotion at Tae Kwon Do, testing for their green belts. Sunday, I hope to take the kids to see Nim’s Island, which is playing in our little one-screen theater.

I’ve got lots of links for you this week, and I’ll start off with the poetry-related in honor of National Poetry Month:

~ The Telegraph ran a series called English Poetry Masters, with articles on Chaucer, Shelley, Christina Rosetti, Milton, and Robert Browning. Each article also includes a sample poem.

~ Sherry at Semicolon linked to The English Room’s 30 Days of Poetry. This is a great way to get your middle-grade kids writing poetry. You might even want to write along with them.

Now, on to the book-related:

~ The Guardian has an interview with Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief (which I loved).

~ Literary Feline is having a book giveaway in honor of Give a Friend a Book Week.

~ I’m a little behind the times, but I guess the latest craze in evangelical circles is a book called The Shack by William P. Young. I have not read the book, and so will not give an opinion, but I encourage you to read this review by Tim Challies. If you’d like, you can also check out this You Tube video from a Mark Driscoll sermon.

Now, for some opinion pieces:

~ It’s a Bratz Country, by Rod Dreher of Crunchy Con. Hat tip: Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer. Here’s a quote to peak your interest:

You will hear from very few people that the toxic culture in which we’re raising our children of all races is destroying them. The facts from the new study are pretty shocking for all Americans. What is it going to take for adults to realize how badly we are failing the younger generations? We’re going to keep on and keep on sexualizing little girls, acculturating them to the idea that they are sex objects. We are not, apparently, going to raise any effective objection to the increased sexualization of our culture by taking concrete and proactive measures in our own families, churches and communities to be countercultural in this regard. We’re simply going to assume there’s nothing we can do, or even blame the Other (it’s the right-wingers who fight comprehensive sex ed; it’s the left-wingers who are turning the culture trashy) instead of asking ourselves what we can and should do to build up a healthy and morally sane self-image in girls and boys.

~ The Nice Squad: Would you dare to say turn the music down?

I use Debrett’s Guide To Etiquette as my bible, and am lucky enough to know gentlemen who make me swoon by rushing ahead to open a door for me, or by insisting they take the correct side of the pavement. I’m clearly living in Brief Encounter, aren’t I?

So you can imagine how well it goes down when I get on a bus and an MP3 player mobile phone is tinnily blaring out some R&B nonsense about gold-plated Bentleys, b*tches and bling to the annoyance of everyone else.

On to politics:

~ Senior Democrats mull Al Gore’s nomination. Wouldn’t that make things interesting? (Shudder)

Some links to make you laugh:

~ Cathy Thorne who draws the wonderful Everyday People comics has a new website. Here’s one my favorites.

~ Another great edition of Zits.

~ This reminds me of how Natalie remembered acute, right, and obtuse angles.

~ I Am Woman - Size 36 D from Melanie at The Refrigerator Door.

~ Hugh Laurie from House singing his original song, America.

~ The Ultimate Cubicle Prank - Hat Tip: Don’t Try This At Home.

That list should keep you busy! Have a great weekend.

When Katy at Fallible announced that she now had an agent to help guide her literary career, I was so very happy for her. I also started reading her agent’s blog. She gives great writing advice (like this), and she’s also hosting The Yo-Dawg-Show-Me-What-You-Got Double Decker CHALLENGE. There are two parts to the competition: submit the first line of a novel - a first line that will make her want to keep reading; second, after she chooses the winning first line, submit the first 300 words to go with the winning first line. If you’re a writer, the prize is something all unpublished writers pine after, so please click over and check out all the details. The deadline for the first phase is Saturday at midnight her time, so don’t wait.

Now, onto a totally different and completely unrelated topic: colonoscopies. Yes, I know, not what you expect from my blog. However, I read this funny and important column by Dave Barry about hist first colonoscopy - and why, after avoiding it for 10 years, he finally had it done.

OK. You turned 50. You know you’re supposed to get a colonoscopy. But you haven’t. Here are your reasons:

1. You’ve been busy.

2. You don’t have a history of cancer in your family.

3. You haven’t noticed any problems.

4. You don’t want a doctor to stick a tube 17,000 feet up your butt.

Let’s examine these reasons one at a time. No, wait, let’s not. Because you and I both know that the only real reason is No. 4. This is natural. The idea of having another human, even a medical human, becoming deeply involved in what is technically known as your ”behindular zone” gives you the creeping willies.

Now that I’ve shown you how humorous even this topic can be, click over and read the column. And, if you’re over fifty and have yet to be screened (yes, Dad, I mean you), make an appointment.

And, since it’s Good Friday, I leave you with this:

I read of Christ crucified,
the only begotten Son
sacrificed to flesh and time
and all our woe. He died
and rose, but who does not tremble
for His pain, His loneliness,
and the darkness of the sixth hour?
Unless we grieve like Mary
at His grave, giving Him up
as lost, no Easter morning comes.

~from The Way of Pain, by Wendell Berry

It’s February. Does anyone else get the mid-winter blahs in February? It always seems to hit me this time of year. I’m sick of winter, I want a break from homeschooling but there isn’t one in sight until Easter week, and the kids are squirrely. We’re done with the it’s-too-cold-to-play-outside days, done (for now) with the snowing-four-to-seven-inches-at-a-time days, and we’re into the it’s-above-freezing-and-the-piles-of-snow-are-melting-and-making-everything-soggy days. The kids play outside, and then come in completely soaked through. They saw the sun shining yesterday and Josiah yelled, “Spring is here!” I hated to burst his bubble, the poor guy.

The great thing is that I know the solution for the mid-winter blahs. It’s something Kevin and I do every year around this time - we head off to the nearest big city (that would be Spokane) for a weekend without our four wonderful children. That’s what’s happening next weekend, and I am SO ready! The cool thing is, I get an extra day of grown-up time this year. Kevin suggested that Michelle and I take next Thursday off, leave the kids with him and Don (they both work out of the home) and head to Spokane. We’ll be eating out, going to the movies, spending (too much) money at Barnes & Noble, and staying over in a hotel. All of that time, completely kid-free! Then Kevin will drop the boys off at her house Friday morning, drop Nan off at her best friend’s house, and come down to join me for the rest of the weekend. Of course, Michelle may need another day of rest and pampering after having my boys for the rest of the weekend, but we will be returning the favor and keeping their boys for a weekend so they can get away very soon.

So, what am I doing while I’m waiting impatiently for some Mommy time? Reading good books:

The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee

(Yes, I’m supposed to be reading Anna Karenina for the Winter Reading Challenge, but this little gem arrived on Friday, and after Becky Sharpe, I just couldn’t pick up another long novel with a main character who is a ninny.)

I’m also watching good movies, like this one:

Martian Child

Tomorrow is our Friday play date. (I’m writing this Thursday night.) It’s Michelle’s week to host, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will go better than the last two times we had it there. My boys were atrocious! Not to her boys, just to each other. They keep the fighting in the family, at least. But I don’t want her to be secretly wishing she hadn’t agreed to keep them next weekend! I love my kids, but every year around this time, they absolutely drive me nuts.

We thought maybe the kids would have a Tae Kwon Do promotion on Saturday, but our month off due to sickness has put them a little behind. There’s another promotion the first Saturday in March, and they should be ready for that one. Since they aren’t promoting, I am planning to take them to Spokane to see The Spiderwick Chronicles movie. They have been warned that their behavior can lose them this privilege, however. I’m sure Noah will be at his best, since the Spiderwick books are his all-time favorites. He has been waiting and waiting to see this movie. If Jonathan and Josiah continue behaving the way they did tonight at bedtime, it may be just Natalie, Noah, and I!

Well, I’ve rambled on long enough, so here are the links I’ve been saving to share:

~ If you’ve ever wondered what Sawyer would nickname you if you were one of the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, wonder no longer. Mine is “Stubby.” Be sure to come back and tell me yours!

~ Every mom will be able to relate to this Baby Blues comic.

~ Check out the trailer for Indianan Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Can’t wait for this one!

~ Carol at Magistramater wrote a wonderful post on nurturing our appetite for beauty, goodness, and truth. After you read it, be sure to click on through to the Wendell Berry interview she links - it’s brilliant.

Have a great weekend!

Thank you for all of your prayers and kind thoughts about my previous post. Please continue to pray.

We have some fun things planned for the weekend. Tomorrow is our day to host the Friday play date with Michelle and her boys. Then in the evening, after the kiddos are safely tucked away in bed, Kevin will head to her house to play Game Cube with Don, and Michelle will come over here to watch Becoming Jane. One of the benefits of getting review copies of movies is that they come before the release date! Expect a review sometime this weekend.

Saturday, the kids and I will be attending the Missoula Children’s Theater production of The Little Mermaid. Natalie auditioned Monday, but didn’t get a part. She has a really good attitude about it, though, and wants to try again next year.

Other than that, I have some writing to do - and only 132 pages left in Vanity Fair. I’ll probably finish it this weekend. It’s good, but boy, is it long!

Here are the links I’ve been saving to share with you all:

~ Lawanda posted this funny video about political change.

~ Kris posted about this very helpful site: GetHuman. It’s a database of companies’ phone numbers - and instructions on how to talk to a real live human!

~ Katy at Fallible posted one of the funniest YouTube videos ever. While you’re there, be sure and congratulate her on her big news!

~ Remember all those “stupid American” bits on Jay Leno and YouTube? Well, it turns out we’re not the only ones. According to this news article, one quarter of Brits think that Winston Churchill was a myth. Not only that, but a whole bunch (58%) of them think Sherlock Holmes was real, while nearly half believe Richard the Lionhearted was just a fairy tale.

~ Another funny Zits comic.

~ Lastly, head on over to 5 Minutes for Mom to enter their Oreck XL Ultra giveaway.

Well, that’s all. Have a great weekend!

It’s been a week, that’s all I have to say. We started back to school this week, and, boy, did I feel the three weeks off. Plus, Kevin is mostly working from home now, and with our little house and my freaking out if our schedule gets interrupted - well, let’s just say we all have some adjusting to do. Here are a few highlights:

Snow, snow, and more snow. I don’t know how many inches we have had since Thanksgiving, but I am praying for an early spring. The extended forecast for the next ten days? Snow, snow, snow showers, snow - with a few cloudy days thrown in for good measure. This is the time of year I always start to feel like a grouch about the weather.

Abcess on a tonsil. No, not mine - I don’t have any tonsils anymore. Kevin seemed to be getting over the flu just fine, until his right tonsil swelled up so big that it pushed his uvula (the little dangly thing in the middle) out of position and nearly closed his throat off. A shot of steroids and mega-antibiotics reduced the swelling enough that the doctor could get in there and lance and drain it. Yes, this involved a shot of novicaine into his tonsil, which was then sliced into, spread open, and sucked out. Too much information? Sorry. He was a drugged up sleepy-head for a day or two, and will be on antibiotics for a while, but all is healing nicely.

I Am Legend. Dad and I went and saw this Sunday evening. Quick review: much scarier than I expected; Will Smith is fantastic; surprisingly strong message about God’s sovereignty. If you’re squeamish, skip it; if you’re not and you like sci-fi, see it.

Cable hook-up. After being frustrated that our antenna doesn’t work when it’s snowing, we decided to hook up very basic cable. And I mean basic: NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS, FOX, TBS, The Weather Channel, C-Span - and a couple of religious stations with very big-haired people asking for money. But, I can watch my football games - and Lost returns on the 31st! All this for around $15 a month - and no contract, unlike satellite. The kids are happy to be able to watch Cyberchase and Zoom on PBS again.

Did I mention the SNOW?

Well, enough complaining - I have a bunch of links to share. Some will educate, some will make you laugh, all are guaranteed to be a worthy waste of time.

~ Karen Edmisten on Blogging, breaks, and mother guilt.

~ Albert Mohler on The Reading of Books. (I owe someone a hat tip for this, but can’t remember where I saw it.)

~ Why don’t you use the little wench? - hilarious column on the misuse of homophones.

~ For Natalie’s writing assignment this week, she wrote a persuasive essay on why everyone should read the Series of Unfortunate Events books by Lemony Snicket.

~ What do I do now? - great video at Lovin’ Life.

~ Moomin Light on watching Pride and Prejudice (with Colin Firth, duh) for the first time.

~ Beautiful photos of libraries around the world - Hat tip: Sherry at Semicolon.

~ Panoramic views of selected rooms in The Louvre - be sure and look up at the ceilings!

~ Column on why the WGA strike is dragging on.

Lastly, I discovered that this week was De-Lurking week in the blogging world. What does that mean? Well, a lurker is someone who reads a blog, but doesn’t comment. I would love to hear from any and all of my readers - if you’ve never commented before, just click on Comment and say “hi.” Have a great weekend!

This evening, our house will be swarming with girls as Natalie celebrates her 11th birthday. That would make our weekend busy enough, don’t you think? But we also have a dress rehearsal for the kids’ Christmas program at church on Saturday morning, church with another rehearsal Sunday morning, and then the program itself Sunday night. I’m tired just thinking about it!

Saturday afternoon will probably be spent with Natalie taking a long nap, and hopefully, some downtime for me. Kevin wants to take the kids out to dinner Saturday night to celebrate our new debt-free status. And I am trying to figure out how to talk him into taking the kids to church Sunday morning for their rehearsal, so I can stay home and watch the Seahawks, whose game starts at 10 am - about the same time as church. I am such a heathen - I know. But they’re 9 and 4, have clinched their division, and are heading into the playoffs! It feels a little like 2005 in Seahawks fandom, and that’s a pretty great - but precarious - feeling.

Before I bake and frost a cake, clean the bathroom, run to the video store and the grocery store, and head to Michelle’s for an afternoon playdate - during which I expect to be frequently bugged by Natalie, who will be too antsy to let us visit - I thought I’d leave you with some links:

~ When it goes gray, we need to dream again. - from Mental Multivitamin.

~ My Grown-up Christmas List - from Semicolon.

~ Merry Recycling Day - Michelle pointed me to this article at The Telegraph.

~ Duelity - a very interesting pair of videos, in which the producers present creationism in the language of science, and evolution in the language of religion. I’m not sure what side the creators come down on, but it is a very interesting look at how language and beliefs are connected. The comments on the blog are very interesting, as some people assume a pro-creation position, and others assume a pro-evolution position. Let me know what you think. Hat tip: Think Christian.

~ Very funny Homeschooling Family Video - Hat tip: Donna at Quiet Life.

Friday again - already! Only 18 days till Christmas, can you believe it? We haven’t even figured out what we’re getting the kids, let alone started our shopping. Aaaaaah!

We’ve been having a very slow week - no Tae Kwon Do, no Awana, no play date this afternoon. Not by choice, we’ve just been down with either a mild flu or nasty cold - I’m not sure which. Noah has had a fever with it, no one else has. It’s definitely worse than the sniffles, since I’m feeling all achy from head to toe. I don’t have a fever - but I rarely run one unless I’m deathly ill.

All that talk of sickness is a great segue into this week’s links:

~ Man Cold - I think I saw this video linked at Rocks in My Dryer.

~ Oops! Advertising ham for Hanukkah celebrations must be the ultimate religious faux pas.

~ This guy does incredible impressions. Another link I think I saw at Rocks.

Thank you so much for all your wonderful thoughts and words of encouragement this week! I am so glad to know that not only do I have dear “real life” friends, but I have all of you, too.

Our week is going much better. No one else has come down with the stomach bug; it may have been just something he ate. Kevin hasn’t been offered a job, but we are emotionally better and trusting. And this morning, my mom called and told me that she had a couch and loveseat for us. Gently used. Now, since most of you haven’t seen our furniture, this may seem like no big deal, but it is. Our couch and loveseat are literally falling apart. Kevin has re-attached one of the arms a couple of times. All of the cushions are pushing out of the upholstery fabric. They were used when we got them, and we’ve had them for several years. With all four of our kids. No, to be fair, Natalie really has nothing to do with the furniture falling apart. But the boys do. Most definitely. When we thought we were selling our house, we planned to buy some new furniture with some of the proceeds before we moved into a bigger house. Now, moving is put on hold indefinitely, but at least I won’t have to look at that ratty old furniture any longer. Mom and Dad are bringing the “new” ones over tomorrow morning. God is good.

Tonight, we’re going to watch Spiderman 3. We have a Tae Kwon Do promotion tomorrow. The boys aren’t ready to promote again yet, but Natalie will be testing for her yellow belt with green stripe - catching her up with Noah and Jonathan. Usually, we play hooky from church on a Sunday after promotion, since we spend all Saturday at the dojang. We can’t do that this time, because the kids all have speaking parts in the Christmas production, and need to be at rehearsal. Sunday afternoon will be low-key - not even a football game to watch since the Seahawks play on Monday night this week. On ESPN, which we don’t have. Oh, well, if they play the way they’ve been playing, I won’t miss much.

I have a bunch of links for you - I’ve been saving up for ages.

~ First, if this is real, it’s amazing.

~ If you’re old enough to remember what life was like “way back” in 1994, check out this: What if 24 was produced in 1994?

~ This comic shows what I’ve been experiencing watching the Seahawks play this season.

~ If you are as tired of the way people - like, you know - talk nowadays as I am, check out this comic. Here’s another by him: The Impotence of Proofreading. (Warning: PG-13 humor. Make the kiddos leave the room.)

~ Christopher Paolini and Random House have announced that the third book in The Inheritance Trilogy (the first two are Eragon, and Eldest) will be released in September of 2008. And it’s not a trilogy anymore, it’s a Cycle - there will be a fourth book. The link includes a video of Christopher talking about his writing process and how he knew there had to be two more books.

~ I love Brett Favre. If the Packers are playing anyone beside the Seahawks, I want them to win. (Well, except maybe the Colts. I really like Peyton Manning, too. ) This is a great video tribute to Brett by his wife Deanna. By the way, one of my favorite Christian authors, Angela Hunt, co-wrote Don’t Bet against Me!: Beating the Odds Against Breast Cancer and in Life with Deanna, and their book has made the NY Times Bestseller list.

~ Speaking of favorite Christian authors, Today’s Christian Woman has an interview with Lisa Samson. Her blog, Author Intrusion, was one of the first I read.

~ Remember how I said I can’t listen to or read Ann Coulter anymore? Someone needs to read her the verses on how people will know we are Christians by our love and the whole “love your enemies” thing. Well, this video is a Jewish woman’s response to some of her comments - like the one where her idea of heaven is the Republican convention. Shudder. (Warning: PG rating.)

~ All moms will be able to relate to this comic.

~ Dana at Principled Discovery has posted eight very funny reasons to homeschool.

That’s all - have a great weekend!