Spanking

Spanking is an important part of our parenting - rarely used - but still an important element. This one parenting issue sparks heated debates among mothering groups, and I understand is a key point of discussion prior to acceptance into the league of LLL leadership. Christian groups as well, often argue the Biblical principles associated with spanking, rather the principles of the Rod and the Staff.

I printed and saved an article from 2004 that discusses Eight Misconceptions About Spanking, and have only now sat down to read it. I do find this to be an interesting study, as it does appear that social scientists decided many years ago to stamp out the evil of spanking, yet it is my belief this strays from biblical principle. This particular article argues that this rejection to spanking is a deep rebellion against God.

Mike and I do have boundaries in our conviction. Spanking should never be done when angry. We try to be mindful of spanking too inconsistently, too late, too hasty and too much. We also appreciate that the only absolute authority for how to raise children is found in the Bible. It seems the book of Proverbs offers a great deal of guidance in this regard.

Misconception #1: That Spanking is an Act of Hatred
Clearly it is not appropriate to spank your children when you are mad at them. God says that it is an act of love. Proverbs 3:11 - "My son despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth."

The Lord chastise us when we are sinful because He loves us. We are also taught that to fail to correct our children when they go astray is hatred towards our children. Proverbs 13:24 - "He that spareth his rod hateth his son; but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes."

Misconception #2: That Control Over Your Child can be Gained Later
Often parents express their excuse for not correcting their children as "a stage they are going through." GUILTY! We have created a "terrible two's" and the "teen years" as an explanation for our lack of godly parenting. God's Word however shows us that if we do not have control over our children now, it is doubtful that we will have any control later.

Proverbs 19:18 - "Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying." Each child has a window of hope. Biblical discipline is based on a concept that the world hates. It is based on recognition that sinful nature is in all people. The bible teaches that children naturally become selfish, hateful and cruel. Parental discipline creates an atmosphere in which this selfish behavior is uncomfortable and is therefore avoided. Eventually the child will mature to a point in which he can control himself without the continual threat of punishment. This is a painful process, but one best learned while still a child.

Misconception #3: That Crying is to be Avoided at All Costs
Children pick up on parents fear of a crying child and use it as a tool to create a compliant parent. They develop mad-cry's and fake-cry's in order to mold mom and dad into putty that can be easily controlled. God does not think all crying is bad.

Proverbs 19:18 - "Chasten thy son while there is hope and let not thy soul spare for his crying." Simple, unadorned crying can be good. It means someone is unhappy. If this unhappiness leads to a correction of actions, this can be a positive thing. But be aware that natural crying wears itself out in a few minutes. If it is honest, it leaves the child quiet and reserved for a period of time. This is a good time to let the child know they are still loved - not while they are angry or crying mad tears.

Misconception #4: That my Child is Naturally Good
Young children are indeed Innocent, but they also have an inborn sinful nature that leads them to do wrong as soon as they are able. You do not have to teach a child to lie or be selfish or rebel against authority. Children are innocent in that they do not know the full importance of what they do. This is spoken of in scripture as foolishness.

Proverbs 22:15 - "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him." We have an epidemic today of parents with perfect children. Our family has experienced this even within our Christian homeschool groups. Their children can do no wrong. Parents are ready to beat up the adult or teacher that would even suggest differently. Don't let your children make a fool of you this way. Accept that your children are human and will misbehave.

The Bible explains that children have foolishness bound up in his heart and that correction is the cure. Don't ignore the foolishness and fail to correct them.

Misconception #5: That Spanking is Harmful to Children
Spanking can be misused and therefore harmful. Spanking in itself is not harmful although Satan would like us to think so. Proverbs 23:13 - "Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die." Beating is not meant here to mean cruelly injure but to strike with a swinging motion. Spanking is a sure way to assist in maturing the child into an adult with integrity.

Consistency is key. The more consistent you are, the less harsh you will need to be in the punishment. Use good judgment in discipline. Each child is different. What works with one child, may not work with another. Spanking is not always necessary.

Misconception #6: That a Child's Behavior and Spiritual Condition are Unrelated
Baptism does not erase the need for discipline. Salvation is not an antidote for bad parenting. Ouch. Poor discipline limits a person's spiritual maturity. Good discipline helps a child become ready for acceptance of their salvation.

Proverbs 23:14 - "Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell." Sensibly understood, this scripture teaches that the correction of the rod lead to a disciplined child who is naturally more open to salvation and less likely to take the path to destruction. The child's behavior affects his openness to God and his reception of salvation. You are either preparing your child to receive Jesus Christ or you are placing hindrances between him and God. You can not save your child through correction. He can still reject God's offer.

Modern parents are too quick to let their children use their own judgment and make their own decisions. God places this responsibility on the parent. A child's earliest conception of God is that of a parent; usually, the father. Many scriptures speak of our relationship to God as of the child to the father (and even the nursingly to the mother's breast). If you do not require the child to submit to you, they will find it difficult to submit to God. Do not underestimate your importance as a parent in establishing your child's relationship with God.

Misconception #7: That Children Will Grow Out of Rebellion
That nature has to be disciplined or we will always be rebellious. It is not a stage. It is a way of life. Proverbs 29:15 - "The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame."

Many children are raising themselves today, even homeschooled children. Parents may be present, but not in charge.

Many parents think they can ignore the rebellion of toddlers. After all, they should soon settle down, right? The truth is they do settle down, but they don't out grow their rebellion. They simply change tactics. Children will continue to throw a tantrum because they feel something is to be gained by doing so. Make sure nothing is gained and the tantrums will stop - although it may take some time.

Misconception #8: That Spanking Causes Stress and Turmoil
Parents have become quite wimpy. They fear confrontation with their children. In doing so, they create a home where peace never comes. Proverbs 29:17 - "Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul." God says that disciplined children create a peaceful home. If rebellion and disobedience are not confronted, they breed a spirit of tension and conflict in the home. The only way to solve the problem of conflict is to confront and solve it in each child as it displays itself.

Paraphrased considerably...by David F Reagan

Circumcision

The CDC has officially announced their recommendation for newborn circumcision ignoring a plethora of evidence that demonstrates only risk to newborns. Their recommendation comes on the heals of a recently published research article that demonstrated an increased transmission of HIV to uncircumcised males from females. Condoms were and continue to be the best solution for those that choose to have sex outside of a monogomous relationship.

A client of mine recently told me that she felt removing the consequences of poor decisions was not responsible parenting. AIDS is a risk to reckless sexual behaviors.

Another client of mine who's parents were very angry with their decision to keep their son intact explained that he felt removing the foreskin of his son would be no different than having implants placed in his daughter's breasts. Cosmetic surgery is not appropriate for our newborns, no matter what our society dictates.

Beyond the lack of physical benefit, routine circumcision ignores the individual freedom of choice for our future young men. Currently 50-60% of all newborns are circumcised in the United States, a decline from previous decades. Boys with intact penises will not be the odd man out in the locker room and can I ask, how many little boys remember ever seeing their father's penis? This rationale is ludicrous.

My eleven year old son was circumcised and his three younger brothers are intact. He knows we lacked information and were unaware of the risks. He knows that when his parents gained information they made wiser decisions and were not swayed by the popular trend.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association continue to recommend parents keep their infant babies intact. Georganne Chapin discusses circumcision and babies' rights on MSNBC. Watch here. The New York Times discusses the debate here.

When we mothers reach out to people outside our familiy, our own families receive a sense of security as a result of our deeds.

She sews for the poor, and generously gives to the needy. Verse 19-20

God blesses those who are kind to the poor. He helps the out of their troubles. Psalms 41:1

Caution!! Lacks Modesty!!!

My midwife shared these pictures with me from my labor with Simon. I hope you don't find the picture of me too offensive. It is probably one of the only pictures of me pregnant - throughout ALL FIVE of my pregnancies!

Catching Up with the Kids

The title is a bit ironic as I don't think I can ever catch up!

Let's start with the youngest. Simon is absolutely adorable, gentle natured, and giggly. He is also very, very chubby and unfortunately has struggled with yeast these past few days, which has progressed into a horrendous case of eczema. We ended up taking him into urgent care yesterday and the physician said it was the worst case he had ever seen. I feared a call to CPS since we hadn't taken him to see a pediatrician since his dismissal from the hospital. I think the physician was too excited to see such an interesting case that he wasn't even acknowledging that very socially unacceptable point.

Simon's primary physician is aware of his yeast and his lack of health insurance, as well as my expertise, so was gracious enough to call in a script for us in spite of having never met young Simon. The eczema flared over his entire body, almost over-night, and clearly cried out for steroids. Not wanting to push my luck or my relationship with his physician, we ventured out and learned that the urgent care is cheaper than our own physician's office visit!

This event has reminded me just how sensitive my children's skin has been and how each seemed to outgrow it eventually. The urgent-care physician tried to make clear to me that Simon would have exceptionally sensitive skin and that I would forever be unable to use fabric softener and needed to use special soap. A bit proud I scoffed at the thought of allergies. My children are breastfed! True, they too are vulnerable to allergies, yet I can't describe the gratefulness I felt in knowing that I am doing the best I can do for him by exclusively breastfeeding and couldn't help but wonder how bad my older children's sensitivities might have been had I not nursed so long. I sort of expect Simon's eczema to disappear in the next two years. In the mean time, we did purchase a sensitive soap recommended by the physician and Mike purchased a batch of Dreft.

Other news on Simon...just under three months of age and weighing 17.6 pounds!! He is a morning baby. He's very talkative and loves the kids. He hates the car seat. This is about the only time he'll cry and scream. Otherwise, he'll just talk and talk, changing his tone, pleating with you to feed him. He loves the sling and loves being outside. He has started pushing up on his feet and I imagine in a short time will be rolling over and starting to crawl.

Most exciting...Simon has brown eyes. I have prayerfully asked the Lord for a brown headed, brown eyed baby like Mike but never imagined actually birthing one. It is really amazing looking down at his big beautiful brown eyes while I am nursing. Mike was talking to him just the other day and telling him how much it tickled his heart that he had brown eyes, "I'll call you my little brown eye." We then looked at each other, hysterically laughing, and realized that might not be appropriate.

News on Samuel...I should start by listing his injuries...chunk of glass in his inner arm, missing toe nail from his left big toe, goose egg on his forehead, burn on his right forearm, and most recently a large, bloody scab under his nose from falling and hitting his face on the window seal. I wouldn't say he's particularly clumsy, just always moving and into everything. We have started the tetanus series, even after erroneously having been given the adult dose booster dose last year.

We're working on bedtime with Samuel and he's getting better, but we have a long way to go. He has gone through the night a few times without wetting his pants too, but I don't have any expectations here. He is much better behaved when we stick to a schedule, surprise! This is a challenge for our family though. He is still nursing quite a bit, but this too has decreased with our schedule. I suppose a routine makes him feel more secure and less of a need to ground himself at home base.

He is really enjoying Simon and he too, is talking up a storm. He says something new everyday that absolutely amazes me. A tiny little adult packaged up in this adorable little toddler body. Unfortunately he has two bad words that he says rather routinely...St*p*d and H*t*. We have done so many different types of punishments and each one seemed to escalate the problem so now we are simply giving him a stern reprimand and a lot of visual disappointment, which seems to break his heart. He earnestly tries not to speak those words but sometimes simply can't contain himself.

Samuel has started taking a singing class called JoySongs on Thursdays in co-op. He absolutely loves it. Somehow they squeeze in singing, coloring, story time and all sorts of fun activities within an hour. He comes home and tells me everything he has done and then sings his songs to Simon in the van when he's crying. Adorable.

News on Lyric...we have survived his fifth birthday and the fifth year anniversary of his death. Tomorrow is the anniversary of his burial and I have a full day of meetings ahead of me. I am hoping I won't crumble and I imagine I'll survive. I still think of him several times every single day and I know Mike does too. Having more children seems to demonstrate more and more just how much we have missed in not having the opportunity to watch him grow up too. It is amazing that there are those people that think saying, "You can always have more," will comfort a grieving heart.

Mike has called the cemeteries in town to see about having Lyric's body moved. I am imagining several hundreds of dollars, but am hoping we can buy our own burial plots there and maybe they will give us a bargain. Noah really wants him to be buried in the older cemetery and goes there each weekend to help clean the area of litter.

News on Noah...he survived sewing today and enjoyed it so much that he seems to have complete amnesia about his anxiety attack last week. He begged me to take him shopping after co-op so he could buy all his needed material for next week. He says he didn't realize it took so much thought to sew. He is really enjoying his new art class too, as well as his composition class (although he didn't get his homework done), but absolutely LOVES his chess class.

Twice this week I have gotten e-mails complementing Noah, which was quite timely because on numerous occasions this week I nearly boxed his pre-teen noggin! Our van was filthy after driving down a gravel road and I mentioned needing to hose it down. I asked Noah if he would get all the trash out first, and hours later he yelled up the stairs that he got all the trash out and asked if he could hose it down. Sure! Then I reminded him to roll up the windows. "Okay!" he replied. Then several minutes later he yelled back up the stairs, "Did you want me to hose off the outside of the van? Arrgghh!

His compliments were one - from a client whose daughter was being hassled by three older boys. She felt he was extremely mature and kind-hearted in attempting to handle the situation. Another compliment came from his chess teacher who said Noah was a real asset to the class because he was quite good, but also a very selfless player. Noah has allowed others in his class to win so that Noah could demonstrate to them various strategies of winning. Today in class Noah said he was assigned to one of the students that wasn't very good at playing because the teacher wanted him to help teach ("like a second teacher") and then Noah said, "So then I beat another high-schooler!"

News about Keely...she's driving! Last week she got her driver's permit so we went driving together. She isn't horrible. In fact, I am sure she is quite good, but I sure don't remember having such a huge learning curve when I was her age and I can't believe there are other driver's out there learning on the same roads we all drive everyday, with the same complete lack of expertise. Mike shared this week that when he was in driving school the teacher offered to drive all the students in his car home after class but when he asked Mike's address, Mike said he had to go back to school because he had drove his mom's car to class! Now that is high-class parenting!

Keely is taking eleventh grade literature and eleventh grade biology. She is also taking a two hour composition class that teaches MLA research, so I suspect that is a bit higher education as well. She hasn't even finished her eighth grade curriculum and is already finding herself at the top of the class. It is amazing. Only a few years ago I feared Keely wouldn't have the mental ability to live independently. She struggled with understanding basic steps and had no ability to follow directions, barely the ability to read. She has blossomed and amazes me everyday. She is far more mature than the vast majority of her age group and I am thrilled with the lady she has become. Yes, she still has some serious blond moments, but she wouldn't be true to herself without them!

Healthy Homemaking

Update -- We have decreased our trash in half, from four trash cans a week to to two, since I've been working towards healthy homemaking. Mike says if we will easily decrease to just one can a week since we've found a place to drop off our plastics. Fabulous! Unfortunately, Simon has an absolutely horrendous case of yeast and nothing we've tried has helped it, including two different Rx treatments. Two days ago we throught we'd try disposables for a few cycles and see if that helps. Apologies to our future generations! We did buy organic though.

Our worms are doing fabulous. Spoiled. We have an incredible amount of compost though -way more than we can hold, so Mike is trying to figure out a new plan.

Vinegar was used on our weeds and grass today that was peeking through the cracks in our side walk. I'll let you know if that works, but it was nice to not have to worry about toxic chemicals as I sprayed. I haven't tried it yet on the windows or any stains.

Step Number Three: Cooking Brown Rice
Fluffy brown rice - Fabulous! I have been buying whole grain rice for quite some time and the family has accepted it without much complaint. We are all in need of the added B vitamins and selenium (fabulous for mental health), as well as the stability it provides our blood sugar. This week, we'll see where we can add in some brown rice to our diet for our next step towards healthy homemaking.

Monday's Menu

Monday: Bagels, Frozen Meals for lunch, Chicken Salad and Broccoli with cheese

(Eat the cantelope!)

Tuesday: Waffles, Ham & Cheddar Loaf (Samuel & Daddy in the kitchen), Dilled Pot Roast with Peach Cobbler

Wednesday: Pancakes and Blueberries, Shredded Chicken Nachos

Thursday: Peaches & Toast, Packed Lunches, Green beans and Hocks

Friday: Pancakes or Waffles, Turkey Sandwich Melt, Sweet Corn & Meat (Noah on the grill)

Saturday: Cereal, Seek and Ye Shall Find with Iced Cinnamon Chip Cookies, Macaroni and Cheese with Kielbasa

Sunday: Big Breakfast, Turkey Dumplings, and Whatever Sounds Good!

Growing UP

This past weekend we attended a Hippie Fest (a later post with pictures) and Noah made a few new friends. We camped Saturday night but wimped out against the war of flies attacking the campers for Sunday night, so headed home leaving Noah behind to play with his new found friends. Although Noah knew this family previously, as mom is a friend of mine, he wasn't real familiar with the children.

Their son is a few years younger than Noah and being the only two boys in a pack of girls, they quickly connected and played well together. However, within no time at all, Noah had joined forces with the two older girls which he realized were closer to his age in spite of the fact that they were both at least a foot taller than he was. It was cute, the physical differences in boys and girls at that age. They don't even realize it themselves yet.

After his night out, Noah returned home and explained that he thought their mother was really uncomfortable with him playing with her daughter and daughter's friend. I asked why and he mentioned the mother required her younger son had to be with them at all times. And they were not allowed to play anywhere they couldn't be seen by her parents. He understood why but felt weird about it. I sort of chuckled as I know just how disinterested Noah is in girls at this point, but I am grateful this mother was as attentive as she was because just as you think it is safe to step away from the changing table because your newborn hasn't rolled over yet, they fall to the floor and you realize they are growing up faster than you thought. I don't want to be negligent in protecting Noah from unnecessary temptation.

Anyway, this morning the kids started their first classes in their new co-op. I signed Noah up for sewing with Keely's previous, and very fabulous, sewing teacher. (All children should know the basics of caring for themselves independently and this includes sewing.) We were a bit late because I had the wrong church in mind, but finding the right location I dropped them off and returned to my office for a full day of prenatal visits. Samuel had a music class in the afternoon, so Mike went back to pick Noah up in the afternoon. When they returned Noah had some guilt to confess.

Apparently, after dropping him off late, Noah ran to his class and peered through the window in the door to his room. It was then that he panicked, realizing the room held only girls. He dropped to the floor and sat there until the class was over and refuses still, to go back. He says the other kids won't know if he is a boy or a girl if he takes that class.

I shared with him that sewing was a requirement for him and attempted to show him all the positive sides to this and why his fears weren't really reality. He wasn't buying my argument, so I said, "Noah, you spent the entire weekend playing with two girls and had a fabulous time!"

He said, "But Mom! They weren't full girls. They were part Tom!" Ha! I am so grateful he doesn't see anymore in girls yet, than the part that is just Tom.

A Wonderful Thing

Being a mother is a wonderful thing,
My bedside alarm, it never need ring,
I'm awakened each day with bright cheerful faces,
And soon 'round the table they've all taken places.

Our meal is seasoned with plenty of chatter,
The fruit and the muffins fly from the platter,
There are stories to share and a Bible verse too,
We reverently pray- it's not always a zoo!

The day is so full of a number of things;
First chores, then schoolwork, then song practicings,
Cooking and cleaning and book-reading too,
A mom of wee children has plenty to do!

I've heard busy times end as quick as they start,
So I'll treasure these days, store them up in my heart,
Small children grow up-the time goes so fast,
The business of mothering soon will be past.

Be cheerful and thankful each day that you've got,
Greater joy anywhere, there surely is not!
As you work through your duties may God hear you sing
'Cause being a mother is a wonderful thing!

~Lora Nolan

Core 40

Notice the time...? I am going to be dead tomorrow. I am on a roll though.

What is "Indiana's Core 40?" Essentially, these are the courses Keely must take in high school to have any success in applying and being accepted into college. Indiana has high school diploma requirements, which seem to change frequently but at least they exist! However, we are striving for academic honors. A copy of the Core 40 in pdf can be found here.

We are also hoping to complete the President's Fitness program this year, which we haven't done before. I think this will really be the greatest challenge for us!

Weekly Motto

I thought we might try something new with our new school year - a weekly motto. I've decided to start here:

Do What I am Told, Right Away,

with a Happy Attitude.

The opposite of this motto is Willfulness

Verse: God's laws are wonderful, therefore I obey them. Psalms 119:129

Late Menu

We survived our first day of school and a new schedule.

We did over-sleep an hour, but soon were up and eager to get started. Getting to bed at a decent hour helped us tremendously. We had lots of free time too after getting our tasks accomplished. While the kids were in music lessons I went to replace my lost license and thought I would go ahead and get my motorcycle permit since I was there anyway. My blood sugar was plummeting and I hadn't looked at the book in a few weeks, but I went for it. Unfortunately, no success. I failed by one dumb answer. I was reassured when my husband, the know-all of motorcycles, admitted he failed his first test too.


After finishing Bible, Composition, Piano, Guitar, Chores, Breakfast and Lunch, and the kid's lessons, we took our tour of the city (previous post). Tomorrow is a new day and we'll see how it goes. Unfortunately, it is 11:00pm and Samuel is still awake in spite of our continued attempts to stick to the same bedtime routine. This might be the end of me (or him!).





Here's our menu though - a few days late:


Tuesday: Waffles, Left-overs, Beef Stew
Wednesday: Pancakes, Left-overs, Dilled Pot Roast with Peach Cobbler
Thursday: Fruit & Toast, Ham & Cheddar Loaf (Samuel & Daddy in the kitchen), Shredded Chicken Nachos (Keely's cooking)
Friday: Pancakes or Waffles, Turkey Sandwich Melt, BBQ Ribs (Noah's cooking on the grill) with corn on the cob
Saturday: Cereal, Chicken & Rice casserole with Iced Cinnamon Chip Cookies, Macaroni and Cheese with Kielbasa
Sunday: Big Breakfast, Turkey Dumplings, and Whatever Sounds Good!

Tour of Thorntown

The kids and I took a tour of Thorntown this evening with a building historian. We have such a beautiful town. Many of our buildings are from the late 1800's to early 1900's. There are some buildings downtown that were destroyed by a tornado around 1965 and all the windows have been boarded up since then. The bricks are also crumbling and haven't been fixed, which is unfortunate. Most of the buildings however are very much intact.

Thorntown was established in 1920 and was the largest city in our county and hoped to be the county seat. We are close to Sugarcreek a fairly major waterway and had a railroad through town, even intercity electric cars, but the interstate is almost ten miles from us which likely curtailed our growth. We have one of the largest city buildings, which is now the police station and court house.

There is a block north of town which has all new buildings on it, post the 70s. This block I had thought was destroyed by a tornado, but the historian said it had previously been the home to a large elementary and high school which was torn town in the 1970s.

We live on the very first street west of town, which now sits next to the town's historical museum. The Thorntown library is one of my favorite parts of town. The historian said its new addition is very "sensitive" which is rarely the case. They left the original building intact and built a second building which is very similar. They also had the original water-fountain from downtown replicated and placed directly downtown. Beautiful!

Another feature of Thorntown I adore, is the Monon trail. This trail runs from town to town and this past year was paved. It is fabulous.

Slugs

It isn't funny anymore. I have been scared of slugs since I was in elementary school. I had a dog that I absolutely adored, maybe more than any other earthly being. We moved to a nicer home and after moving in the landlord told my mother we couldn't keep her. My Dad let me keep her at his house, but outside on a leash. He was a truck driver and made clear that it was my responsibility to ride across town and feed her each and every day. I think I did a fairly good job for an elementary kid, but not good enough. Dogs need companionship and in my opinion, should never live primarily outside. However, at that age, I wanted her no matter what the cost. I absolutely adored her. Nikki was her name.

One afternoon I went to visit Nikki, clean her bowls and play with her a little. I crawled into her dog house and sat with her, telling her I was sorry about our distance and all the big plans I had for our future. As I was talking I started to focus in on the dark slimy thingys all over the inside of her dog house. I couldn't believe they had invaded her home and began tossing them out, realizing that one or two were in fact on Nikki. I was angry, terrified, heart-broken and determined to change our circumstances. My Dad was gone and I am sure I shared my plight with my mother, but her hands were tied and she wasn't much of a creative thinker.

My next visit to Nikki, I found an empty dog house and a leash, limp on the ground, without my precious dog. Running inside to elicit help in finding her, I learned that my father had taken her to the pound because he didn't feel I was properly caring for her. I didn't even get to say goodbye.

I am not sure if this is the root of my slug issue, but I imagine it is. Growing up it was always a joke that I was so scared of slugs and even as a young adult I was sort of surprised the fear remained. I am not afraid of spiders or really any other gross sort of thing, after all, I am a nurse. Slugs however have always really bothered me.

The reason I share this with you now though, is because I am concerned that this has grown to an extent that is very unGodly. This past week I've been working in the garden much more and because we have incredibly high weeds, we have created a haven for slugs. A few days ago a client was bartering by assisting me in pulling weeds and without a thought, after actually touching a slug, I screamed and ran, "AAHHhhhh!!! I touched a slug!" The neighbors were alarmed. I made a huge scene and was well aware of it but still wasn't able to calm myself, or slow my breathing and soon was loosing vision and hearing voices only through a tunnel. I was a bit surprised at how worked up I was.

Today, Mike and I worked together in the garden. I wore gloves this time and was more mindful of the possibility, so genuinely thought if I saw a slug I'd just stay clear of its path. However, three times I saw slugs that were not close enough to be touched or stepped on and I had a safe distance to keep working and minding my own business but all three times I became light-headed and almost passed out. I am genuinely terrified of slugs. This is irrational and needs to be rectified. How does one overcome a fear like this?

High School

Keely enters high school this year and she is thrilled, and well prepared, I think. We decided quite a while back that we would continue with Sonlight through High School (her favorite curriculum by far) and after turning sixteen, enroll her in core courses at Ivy Tech State College. Mike and I have talked quite a lot about buying her a smart car, although I don't really want her driving on the interstate. If she were to attend Ivy Tech in Lafayette though, she could take St Rd 52 north and not really cross paths with large trucks.

This next year, all the kids will be studying American History. Keely will also be studying biology, which she has already started in Crawfordsville - CACHE. The Lafayette group was offering this every other week for an hour, which I assisted in teaching. We are very grateful that Keely's course is every week for two hours. Noah will be studying anatomy and physiology which is by far his favorite subject.

Keely will also be participating in an American Literature course, Composition, Vocal lessons and has joined the praise team at church where she'll sing and play piano. Noah and her both are taking piano lessons weekly and Keely is paying for her own guitar lessons weekly as well (Mom wouldn't pay for these unless Keely demonstrated a commitment to practicing her piano and guitar between lessons this first semester).

Keely has also started working for Believe Midwifery Services, LLC on a weekly basis. Her primary tasks are collecting information for entering into the statistical database and gathering insurance claims and entering into the reimbursement database. She answers the phone and schedules appointments as well.

College - we have talked quite a lot about future goals. She is still determined to become a prosecutor. Keely has incredible talent for public speaking, is professional, and well liked, but I don't see her enjoying the life style of a prosecutor. She is passionate about its mission though, so we'll see where her heart leads her. We've requested catalogs from several colleges and she is exploring their possibilities. I think at this point we'd like to have her live at home and drive to her courses, although if she finds a good fit far from home, I am hoping we can purchase a home that we can rent out rooms to other college students as well, so we aren't simply tossing money into room and board, but also gaining equity.

I found a web site that lists all of Indiana's colleges and their tuition for this year. Great site!

How to know if you have the Swine Flu...

If you wake up looking like this...don't go to work.

H1N1

As a healthcare provider, I am expected to recommend the H1N1 vaccine as this is in line with the recommendation by the CDC. As each and everyone knows, I don't simply follow the lamb in front of me. I like to be fully informed and if there is any truth to this video, we're in trouble...and not just because of the potential ramifications of the vaccine, but because our government seems to be saying to our most vulnerable population, "Take this vaccine which has little to no researh supporting its safety simply because I say so." Sounds like a scary forecast of what lies ahead regarding our political leaders.

Breasts in Mourning

http://bcmbreastfeedingcoalition.blogspot.com/