Cloth Diapering Report #3

Eowyn is now 9 months old, fully mobile, and is eating at least some solid foods. The past 3 months have held both regular baby-sitting (while I worked 2 mornings/week) and travels in cars and by plane. Here's what's been going on in the Szrama diaper-front. (See past updates here and here.)

Preferences:

-- Daily use:

infant size 4x8x4 unbleached prefolds in a medium g-diaper (prefold: still using the factory seconds I bought for $11/dozen) It's been six months of using them daily, and they show no signs of wear. If they get a stain, it takes a maximum of 2 dryings-by-clothesline in the sun and they are nice again. I HIGHLY recommend good (unbleached) pre-folds to anyone! I also am very impressed with the g-diapers. This was sort of a surprise to me, since they are marketed to be used with disposable (biodegradable) inserts as a disposable-cloth hybrid. But two friends gave me their stashes (one with two whole packs of disposable inserts-- perfect for travel!) of g-pants, and after sewing new velcro onto one friend's very-worn set, I've been super-pleased! I just fold a pre-fold into thirds and stick a fleece liner over it, and ta-da! Éowyn is ready for another 4-6 hours. I've never had a blow-out and quickly found the source of a seepage issue (a worn-out holder). I love this system because it never marks up her legs, is easy for anyone, fits great around her waist, is super-cute, doesn't leak, dries stain-free and simply, is economical, and is pre-loadable (helps Daddy and diaper-bags out!). I even get use out of some random flat diapers passed down to me; just fold them up and slap on the fleece liner, and we can go for 3-4 hours.

-- While out-and-about, overnight, or for childcare:

- a double-stuffed pocket diaper (favs: M Green Acre Designs, OS Kawaii Baby, M Happy Heiny, M snap Swaddlebees), my favorite inserts being hemp. Not so impressed with Fuzzibunz... I'm actually trying to pass on half a dozen of them...send any interested my way. OR

- a regular-sized prefold, modified a la this webpage, with a diaper cover

I took 2 unbleached regular-sized prefolds (I have a dozen I inherited--they are too big for E now) and use them overnight (again with a fleece liner) with great results. I still like my M Bummis Super-Brites...love those leg-gussets!

Others used:

Bumkins Dr. Seuss covers (not sure what's up with the mesh in the back; if she sleeps in them it often leaks there)

Tricks & Tips learned:

- I'm sort of in love with this site...

- diaper liners: I cut up a fleece blanket into strips, and use these for my liners. I think they make a big difference in keeping her dry and rash-free. Also make for easier clean-up of poops, and also guard against lotions getting on the diapers themselves. They dry super-fast.

- wipe solution: ~1/2 T raw coconut oil, drop or two of baby wash, and ~1/3 wipe-box-full of water. So far my cloth wipes (just washcloths cut into halves or fourths) are holding up well. I'm zig-zagging the cut edges a bit at a time. Not sure if it's needed, but I think it will help them hold up longer.

- I had to strip several pocket diapers I bought used (they were repelling water!)...after washing them normally, I boiled them with white vinegar in the water, then I scrubbed them with a natural oxygen bleach powder (natural version of OxyClean) with a toothbrush, and then I threw them in the next diaper load. They've worked great ever since!!

- for diaper rashes (rare): Burt's Bees Carrot Night Cream, or coconut oil (raw). [I just bought Arbonne's Herbal Diaper Creme, and to my dismay found it contains soybean oil, so I can't apply it to her!! I have put it onto a disposable wipe and spread it on her that way. Supposedly it doesn't interfere with cloth diaper absorbancy...] Anyway I LOVE the night cream, and also put it on any skin irritation, etc on her. It doesn't treat anything, so probably wouldn't work on an infection, but it does nourish the skin & heal it up quickly!

- my laundry routine works like a charm: hot cycle with double rinse, using ~2 T of my homemade soap (grated soaps --most recently freebies from hotels,-- borax, washing soda & a tad of OxyClean), drying everything in the sun (usually). I have enough diapers to make it through 3-4 days easily. I just bought a pail liner (Kissa's Antibacterial) to make laundry faster and less gross. :) I have learned that I DO need that much soap-- any less and the diapers smell "swampy", and if I skip the 2nd rinse I risk giving my baby diaper rash. :( White vinegar helps too. I also think that using coconut soap or fels-naptha instead of random hotel soaps makes for a stronger detergent, meaning it might be better for diapers.

- for swim diapers-- meant to catch solids, not liquids: a g-pant (old) with a square of cloth from an old t-shirt folded inside (so her bum isn't touching plastic), and an old Dappi brand cover (it had nice mesh inside) that's too small to be worn over a prefold, also with cotton fabric folded inside. These worked great at the beach, and we'll be using them all summer long!

- for pocket-diaper inserts-- microfiber "carwash" towels from Target folded into 3rds. They really do work!

My stash: between each wash I regularly use 1 dozen unbleached pre-folds, 1/2 dozen flats, ~18 diaper liners, 4-6 diaper doublers, ~4 g-pants, ~6 g-diaper liners, 3-6 pocket diapers, 2 extra-absorbancy prefolds, and 1 diaper cover. I do diaper loads 2ce/week.

Bacteria, the Good & the Bad

Two articles were brought to my attention today, both concrning those little creatures ith whom we must learn to co-exist, or perish. Too much of them in the wrong place, and we die. Too few of them in the right place, and we get really sick... Yep, I am referring to our prokariotic friends, those single-celled ubiquitous critters called bacteria.

First, one on bacteria and newborns. Yes, they need them too. [This article gives yet another reason to pursue natural childbirth rather than medically "controlled" (usually = meddled-in) births.]

Second, one on bacteria and reusable grocery bags. No, they do not need them.

Check 'em out!

--Christina

Why I Went to Church on Vacation

Ryan had to work all of Sunday morning at the Colorodo DrupalCamp here in Denver. That left me to do whatever I wanted with my sweet Éowyn to do or not do whatever I wanted to do. I thought about going to church... since it was the Lord's Day and all, but thought about the "trouble" of getting a baby ready, myself ready, out the door and to a totally unfamiliar place, driving an unfamiliar car (a Suburban FAR bigger than my Malibu) in a town where I'd never driven before... not to mention finding a church that would be worth going to, and near enough to get to in time... I thought about not going, about just reading the Bible on my own, praying, reading the Bible lessons for VBS I'm going to teach next week... then I looked into my heart.

It took about two seconds to realize just how much I was in need of refreshment. I realized just how much I was in need of hearing Truth, of being around singing believers looking beyond the obvious into the Real. I realized, most of all, that I needed to worship. Lately, I've been having trouble remembering that God is Real, that He is near, that He is there for me to enjoy.

So I found a list of reformed churches online, and went to one with a very cheesy name, but with good stuff on their website-- L2 Church, just a few blocks from our rental house. I got up, got baby and self ready, figured out the garage, the car, the gate, and the alley, drove nervously through the streets that seemed too narrow to be 2 lanes... I got there and I heard singing. It was good to hear.

The sermon, on Hope for the Poor in the Gospel, was good-- I took away several things and hid them in my heart. But I think the pastor could have spoken on just about any topic, and if he'd mentioned Christ, the Gospel, and the reality of our God, it would have been worth it. I kept being moved near tears by so many things. Why? because it was True. Because it reminded me of things I too easily forget.

I need help remembering. I need fellowship with God. That's why I go to church every Sunday, and especially when I'm traveling (because I often struggle to make time with the Lord when on the road). Yes, it's commanded... but it's commanded because it's GOOD. I went to church because my flame is weak, and I need it fanned into fire.

Some might think I went to church because my faith is strong.

Nope.

I went because my faith is weak.

Where We've Been

Pensacola signs tend towards the tackilicious...

Our condo-- the second floor.

Our group: Jeb & Chris (guests of the Graduate), Courtney, Me, "Poppy," Eowyn, Grandma, "Nana," Greg, Kendi & Grandpa. Just missing Ryan.


About to tour the old Fort Pickens (LOVED IT!). Gettin' attitude from Courtney... as usual... ;)

They aren't lying about "white sugar beaches"

We also enjoyed touring the Naval Aviation Museum on base.

Ryan & I enjoyed the IMAX presentation of about the Blue Angels. Wow they are seriously cool!

Lots of baby-loving went on...

We all enjoyed the Wave Runners we rented for 1 hr one afternoon... except for the Grands, and Nana who watched Eowyn back in the cooler condo.

We had a great time and can't wait to go back!

8 Months Old

Dear little munchkin,

As I write this, you are standing, cool as a cucumber, against Nana & Poppy's coffee table, smacking it and growling because you can't quite reach a coaster (yum). When I laugh at this, you grin at me, and I can see that adorable mini-dimple in your right cheek. You just saw a toy that we'd left here, and cried out in delight, then power-crawled over to it. No longer do you crawl like a careful automaton-- you've got speed and confidence. You're also very confident in your standing ability. When you want something else, you try reaching for it, and will occasionally cruise around to it, but usually, you very carefully lower yourself about halfway to the ground, and then "plop!" drop the rest of the way. Boy are you happy to be out of your car seat!

You seem to be learning a new trick every day. Yesterday it was giving five (in English or in Spanish). Today it's growling in "conversation." Just before our trip you started kissing us... You understand "quieto" (be still) very well, which came in SO handy yesterday when I was changing you on the floor of our beach condo (with white carpet!) and couldn't find the wipes, and you had a VERY messy diaper. If you'd disobeyed and started rolling or scooting around... yuck. You sometimes show your frustration with grunts, growls, sighs or fake little cries when told "no," proving that yes, you in fact understand EXACTLY what we're telling you. You really like older kids. You watch Magnus run like a maniac, and you put up with him stealing your toys and bowling you over-- and you appreciate it when he shares with you. You play well with Jane & baby Grace, grabbing toys out of each other's mouths and occasionally sharing. Other favorites are your blankies (2 "travel size" and 1 full sized-- any will do just as well-- it's the silky-and-fuzzy combo that gets ya), your spoons, my lip gloss, and your red paci. If you have a paci and a blankie, you put yourself right to bed. You love the song "Juan Pequeno Baila" (Little Johnny Dances), and your lullaby, "How Firm a Foundation," and any silly song Daddy sings to you. You LOVE music. At church you sing along, especially to the Alleluias. It's so sweet!

Right now you are an extreme mama's girl. You are fine with other people (especially your grandparents & family), as long as you know Mommy isn't anywhere near. If you glimpse me, hear me, or (I swear) smell me, it's over. The tears begin and do not stop. You also love Daddy, and are happiest when BOTH parents are right there with you. You make friends easily, too; two days ago, you cried when Grandpa Presley walked away from us, and held out your arms for him to pick you back up.

This month we weighed you on the fruit scale at Joe Huber's Family Farm, where we picked strawberries, and you were 17.5 lbs. You seem all arms and legs all of a sudden. The only trace of rolly-polly baby fat is around your thighs. The rest is all lean. Your feet grew so suddenly, too! Still no more teeth, though you've been "teething" for about 2 months now.

You eat pretty much anything we give you, though only after cautiously poking your tongue out of very-tightly-closed lips. If it passes taste-muster, you open up. If not, you push the spoon away, growl, or turn your head away. You finally started eating meat this month (ground lamb & ground beef), mixed in with fruit puree. You fed yourself your first solids of steamed carrot and red potato, and steamed cabbage leaves. You (usually) eat solids at 11 am and 5 pm, and you let me know very clearly when you've had enough of them and are ready for your "real meal" (mama's milk). You eat just about anything you can reach, including a strawberry (green head first) while we were picking them, and an entire dandelion.

This month you've added Alabama and Florida to your states-visited list, as we spent 5 days in Pensacola Beach. We, with Uncle Greg & Aunt Kendi, went around to see Daddy's childhood homes, schools, favorite spots, and the Presley grandparents' home. You did NOT like the beach at first (scary-sounding), but by the second day, you really enjoyed bouncing out with Mommy & Daddy in the calmer waters further from shore. You tried to catch a little clam, and were upset that it burrowed into the sand away from you! You look SO cute in your bathing suit! Another first this month was being babysat by Morgan S., whom I used to babysit! (Aunt Sina helped out a lot)

We love your many expressions, and how well you express your emotions despite your lack of vocabulary. One day soon, you'll be talking! I try to remember how quickly you're growing up and savor every minute... even the middle-of-the-night cry fests you've adopted this past 2 weeks with your very-sad congestion and cough.

I could write all night, but it's time to put you to bed, muchachita!

Love,

Mommy

My Struggle These Days

I had a dream about a month ago that I was dying. I remember being most concerned about my grandfather, who is not a believer, and wanting to share the Gospel with him explicitly one more time before I died. In my dream I was trying to tell him about the Savior, and his need for Him... and all of a sudden I began to think about my own soul- life the past several months, and the icy cold of doubt entered my heart. "Am I a believer? I sure haven't been living like one. There's been such empty routine in my heart; such anger towards the Lord and so little joyful obedience." Always before I'd been so sure of my salvation because of the love I've had for Him, deep down-- not of myself at all. Not so in my dream. With my own death approaching, where was the dying grace I'd always prayed for, always expected? "If I'm not a believer, I know the answer is to repent... but you can't run to Jesus just to avoid punishment; He doesn't want to be used; He isn't the means to an end-- He IS the End, and if He isn't, He isn't truly being worshiped. He will not be used as currency for the purchase of idols." And so on until I woke up. The questions, the doubts of my own salvation even, remained.

All the way through this, I've still wanted to encourage others; to be a good friend that points others to Christ; to tell everyone around me of the Joy of Knowing Him. But the past few months I've felt only bitterness, and so have kept quiet, afraid of spewing the bile of my soul on everyone if I be honest, or of ringing fake if I speak of Christ. Even as I've taught children's Sunday School, my preschool class, and shared the Gospel with my neighbors and lost friends, it's been saying truth that I KNOW is true, yet struggling to say it when my heart doesn't "feel" it. How can I encourage others to know Him when I've been so far from Him and His Word myself?

The Lord's shown me that there's been slow anger boiling in my heart, simmering away; a root of bitterness. The anger's been mainly towards the Lord, for asking for yet more obedience (as always), when my past obedience has seemingly been "rewarded" with hardship. As if He owed me. "Why should I obey you more, Master, when You aren't giving me what I want, despite my best obedience? That's not how I want it to work!! Look, these many years I've served You and I never disobeyed Your command, yet You never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends!" (Luke 15:29) The heart of the Older Brother is in mine-- the heart that stayed "near" the Father outwardly for all those years, yet derived no joy from his Father's nearness. "His commands are not burdensome" "If you LOVE Me, you will obey what I command." Hmmm.

It has been several months of hard, angry struggling in my soul over here... someone at church asked me how I was yesterday, and I smiled, all dressed up for church as I was, with my beautiful baby on my hip, and beamed "doing really well!" It took a bit for me to realize that my automatic answer was a total lie. All is NOT well in my soul. I mean, I know that my salvation is secure and my Eternal Happiness will be worked out, but I haven't been experientially aware of that reality at all lately. An honest, open-heart email --written about 2 weeks ago-- to a friend captures this, so I'll cut and paste it in here... please pray for me.

"... we made it home safely last night, and found our garden was NOT eaten by varmits!!! Those coffee grounds I threw out there our last night home seemed to do the trick! Now... will they keep the vermin at bay? I really want some fruit for all my labor! At least we should get peppers and tomatoes; never have managed to kill those yet. Speaking of gardening, I really want to go out there and plant some stuff while E's asleep. She's usually a handful outside-- wanting to eat EVERY blade of grass and type of leaf (gross, I know)-- but today she is Queen Super Crank. I've been looking forward to nap-time ever since she got up from her last one, how sad is that?! So maybe after I send this to you I'll run out there, plant and re-pot and then run back in here and work on my sewing projects. What other chores am I supposed to do today? I feel like once I hit a rhythm for chores and schedule I'll feel less overwhelmed... otherwise my brain spins a billion miles an hour. I made this chore chart and I have a planner... from my SWI class... should probably use it...

"Band-aid for a bullet wound..." that sounds so familiar-- is it a Switchfoot lyric? You saying that made me look at myself and think a bit. I realized that my first impulse is always to "fix it" and get back in the game. You know, like in volleyball; you dive, eat the floor, then you shake it off and do what you need to to get back up and dive again. If I'm not being a good wife, I need to read a book about it, figure out my problem, fix it, and get in there and be a better wife. If I'm not sure how to handle my daughter, I just need to read a book on it and I'm sure I'll get it under control. Crazy house? Give me a book, a pencil and paper, and I'll have The Perfect Schedule in no time. I know I can handle everything and anything, if I just have a little guidance, time and somewhere to jot down all my Marvelous Ideas. Savior? Who needs that? Externally powered inner strength? Why would I ask for that when all I need is a little help. I got this, you know? I got this.

WRONG

There's an old hymn that says "lay all your deadly doing down/ down at Jesus' feet." I think I need to meditate on that again. I'm trying to pray and read Scripture and hold my inadequacy up with both hands and beg the Lord to Fill it. Not with a schedule or a to-do list or a how-to book, but with Himself. "He is the Treasure to be found in all that hurts us" (Ben Patterson, Waiting)."

In the book Mimosa (Amy Carmichael), the poor, oppressed and amazingly kept heroine knows next to nothing about her Savior-- only that He loves her and knows her name, and that He is different from all the idols of India. Yet she loved him, clung to Him and Him alone, and prayed to Him as one dependant on His provision. She would spread her sari before God, empty, and hold it out to Him when she had nothing at all to feed her children, and she'd ask Him for rice-- that's what she called prayer: "holding out my sari to Him." She came to Him empty, holding out her emptiness for Him to fill, utterly sure that He would do it, and seeing Him answer faithfully time and time again. In that sense, her very inadequacy, her very emptiness was almost an offering.

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken spirit and a contrite heart. These, o God, You will not despise."

Praying that I will learn to "hold out my sari" to HIm... "nothing in my hands I bring/ simply to Thy cross I cling."

Amen.

Abortion's Selfish Nature

This article will shock you, and hopefully make you think. The British public was recently scandalized that about 80 women a year end pregnancies which they themselves brought about, through in-vitro fertilization. Abortion is always selfish-- choosing to end another's life because it would somehow make yours more difficult (even if the difficulty wasn't one you brought on yourself, such as in the case of rape)-- this article shows the depth to which that can go. Babies are not shirts that you can decide to put on and put off!!

Al Mohler on the Pill

Though these have been out a while, I only just read them today. As always, his thoughts are well-articulated and interesting. Feel free to post responses and/or thoughts. I'm not saying I agree 100% with him; I just like that he's bringing it up as a question for Christians to consider and discuss. He's right: for so long we've just accepted birth control of all kinds, for all reasons-- sex both in and out of marriage-- without looking deeper and trying to discern the world view behind it... and trying to peer ahead on its effect on our worldview and our health. (Of course, here he isn't discussing the use of the Pill or other hormonal therapies for things like skin conditions or regulation of irregular cycles-- those uses of the Pill are medicinal, not elective.)

The Pill Turns 50 — TIME Considers the Contraceptive Revolution

Can Christians Use Birth Control?

Meet the Orchestra, Step 2

I have been looking forward to this post very much. These pieces of music I'm about to mention are among my favorites! I've not met a kid yet who didn't start enjoying music once these got pulled out. I remember my own copy of "Peter & the Wolf"-- a lovely oversized book with accompanying cassette tape. This was my primary source of exposure to the idea of an orchestra, and to the timbres and sounds of various instruments. Today I use these orchestral works in my preschool class (and even my middle & high school classes as a bit of a treat-- everyone loves a good story) to introduce not only the instruments of the orchestra, but most of the foundational musical principals I'll later address as "Music Mechanics" (aka very very basic musical theory). Later I'll post my actual "Orchestra Unit," so you can see how I interweave musical games, dance, musical stories, and books about music.

Remember, your goal is always to give your children as many types of experience with music as you can-- each one forms a "hook" or a "tag" for their brain to build on, so that they understand well the ideas behind music. Our goal is to make musical knowledge so deeply a part of their experience that it's like the concept of "family"-- they know all about it, they don't have to think about it, and they use it constantly. So... listen to the music, read the books, talk about them, color pictures of them, re-tell the stories, dance to the music...

Multi-media Orchestral Works:

-- Peter & the Wolf-- Prokofiev's wonderful "musical fairy tale" written especially to introduce children to the orchestra. My students experience it first in silence (well, as silent as 4 year olds can be), without any pictures, but later as it gets more familiar, we love this book version.

-- The Carnival of the Animals-- St. Saens wrote this as a sort of joke for his family to enjoy; each piece of the suite calls to mind a particular animal. My students LOVE to dance to it! There are two ways to enjoy this besides just listening to the suite: first, reading the poems by Ogden Nash (my favorite), second, the book by John Lithgow. The book creates a story using the suite as background, which can be confusing to small children, but which is fun in its own way. It was written in order to turn the suite into a ballet. I highly recommend going to see the ballet with your kids if you ever can! This website is really helpful. A new book, illustrated by Mary GrandPre (amazing-- she did the Harry Potter books) is coming out in August!

-- Babar the Elephant-- Poulenc's work is inspired by the popular children's story. On this CD it is paired with The Mother Goose Suite (Ravel)

-- A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra-- Benjamin Britten wrote this so that children could easily hear the timbres different instruments offer to a theme. It is often sold on CDs with Peter & the Wolf and/or Carnival of the Animals. This book and narrated CD is really helpful.

-- The Magic Flute: an Opera by Mozart, adapted by Kyra Teis (for younger students) or Anne Gatti (older students)

Some other great works for children:

--Messiah

-- The Surprise Symphony,

-- The Planets, Gustav Holtz

-- The Sorcorer's Apprentice

Example of how you might use these ideas:

After you've spent 2-3 weeks reading books about the orchestra, interspersed with musical games, you're ready to add in a musical story, say Peter & the Wolf. Take 2 "sessions" just to listen to it all the way through. Later sing the themes, identify the instruments, look at pictures of them, dance, do anything you can think of to add another layer of experience to the music. Later add the book Meet the Orchestra or The Story of the Orchestra. Begin to discuss the ways instruments make music- being blown into, being hit (allowed to vibrate), having strings that vibrate. This forms your basic categories of instrument families- woodwinds, brass, strings and percussion. Go back to Farkle McBride and the kids will see those categories in there. Look up coloring or fill-in worksheets online on the orchestra.

Now you have 4 "types" of musical activities to add to your music "classes:" musical books (read aloud & discussed), musical stories (listened to), musical games, and reinforcements (coloring/ drawing/ collages of pictures, dancing, music journal for older students, instrumental experimentation, & other forms of art intended to help the kids further experience the music). Alternate and intersperse them in your classes so that they don't get too predictable. I often did something like:

Class 1- musical story, reinforcement (dance)

Class 2- musical game, reinforcement (experimentation with percussive instruments), musical book

Class 3- musical story, musical book

Class 4- musical game, musical story

Go and see an orchestra perform or practice, and if possible arrive early or stay late to let the children speak with the musicians and see (maybe even touch!) the instruments up close. In about a month, add another musical story and repeat the process. Add in another musical book, say The Philharmonic Gets Dressed or M is for Melody. Keep reinforcing the ideas of pitch, tempo (speed), volume, type of instrument, melody v. harmony, and theme. You could easily do this for half a year or even a year, depending on the age of your children, working your way through the musical works I've listed, giving them a really solid base knowledge of the classical orchestra.

Next topic: Music History!!

Meet the Orchestra, Step 1

Pick a book from the list below and read it, pointing out the different instruments and asking questions like these:

-- Is that instrument high or low? (many kids get pitch and volume mixed up)

-- Is that playing quickly or slowly? We even use musical terms presto (quickly), andante (slowly).

-- Is that loud or soft? (forte or piano)

-- Have we heard that melody before? (Teach them that the melody is the part they sing-- the "way the song goes," what you'd whistle if you were trying to tell someone what song you meant. Harmony is the other "stuff" that sounds along behind it and goes nicely.)

-- Do you think that instrument will sound up high or down low? (Drill into their heads the relationship between pitch and instrument size: big instruments play low, small instruments play high)

Aim to do music twice a week for 1/2 hour each time. For example, start with the books The Remarkable Farkle McBride and I Know a Shy Fellow. Read them over and over again for a period of 2-3 weeks. Fill in the remaining class time with musical games or experimentation with musical instruments. Ask the questions above and others like them. The children should be able to identify the instruments and likely will enjoy filling in the blanks if you leave words out. Kids do NOT get bored with repetition when it is done well! Next step coming tomorrow!

(This post introduces a series of posts on the orchestra.)

Musical Games: The Number One Trick in Your Bag

Building a Musical Library

General Books About Music

-- The Remarkable Farkle McBride, John Lithgow

-- I Know a Shy Fellow Who Swallowed a Cello, Barbara S. Garriel

-- Do Re Mi: If You Can Read Music, Thank Guido D'Arezzo, Susan Roth

--The Story of the Orchestra, Robert Levine

-- Mole Music, David McPhail

-- Can You Hear It?, William Lach

-- A Young Person's Guide to Music, Neil Ardley

-- Meet the Orchestra, Ann Hayes

-- Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin, Lloyd Moss

-- The Jazz Fly, Matthew Gollub

-- The Philharmonic Gets Dressed, Karla Kuskin

-- Two Scarlet Songbirds: a story of Anton Dvorjak, Carole Lexa Schaeffer

-- M is for Melody, a musical alphabet, Kathy-Jo Wargin and Katherine Larson

Start looking out for these books at Goodwill, used book sales, Amazon lists, etc. Just start building your own musical library, so these books are always available for your children to pick up and read on their own, or for you to read to them before bed, or just anytime.

Books About Orchestral Works:

(this series is pretty much a must-have, in my mind)-- all by Anna Harwell Celenza

I've arranged them in chronological order with a note as to which "time period" they fall into, and it might be helpful to have a timeline on your school wall somewhere, where you can write in each piece of music as you hear it.

-- Bach's Goldberg Variations (Bach, Baroque)

-- The Farewell Symphony (Haydn, Classical)

-- The Heroic Symphony (Beethoven, first "Romantic" work)

-- Pictures at an Exhibition (Mussorgsky, Romantic)

-- Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (Gershwin, Modern- Jazz)

Procrastination Seems a Virtue

When it comes to umbilical cord clamping and shots, that is. :)

Here's an article that supports delayed cord-cutting. See previous post on this topic here.

And here is another mom's take on vaccination delays.

Music for Worship: Hymns 2

As promised, here is the actual "interview" my middle school students had to give their parents the first week of school:

All music sung by Christians has an element of worship in it, because ALL of our life is worship, but there are some songs which are more explicitly God-ward than others. We will have opportunity to sing this type of music in our choir this year- a unique privilege of a being a Christian school. This sort of music, based on Scripture, can stir our hearts with fervor or with conviction, allowing the Holy Spirit to minister to us. There are Psalms written out of every emotion. Music keeps Heaven in the Christian's ears.

“The tears flowed from me when I heard Your hymns and canticles, for the sweet singing of Your Church moved me deeply. The music surged in my ears, truth seeped into my heart, and my feelings of devotion overflowed, so that tears streamed down. But they were tears of gladness.” ~ “St.” Augustine (354-430)

Your instructions are to interview your father (extra credit for interviewing Mom too!) and ask him the following questions. Write down his answers. I hope that this will help your whole family think about how we are relating to our God through song.
Note: in this interview, "hymn" simply means any song used in worship.

1. What is a hymn you remember from your childhood?
2. What is your favorite hymn right now? Why?
3. Which Scripture passage does it make you think of or come from?
4. What is a hymn that has come to your mind in a time of celebration? Which time was this specifically?
5. What is a hymn that has come to your mind to comfort you in a time of sorrow? Why/how?
6. What is a hymn that has reminded you of truth in a time of confusion; one that has "set you straight" in some way?

As a teacher, I saw these 6 questions open up a lot of good conversation across generations, and was especially pleased to see the way it affected the boys when they found out that their dads benefitted from singing in worship. It was also so critical for them to realize that we don't just sing songs to the Lord out of a glad heart-- this is one error many make, and it can absolutely kill a grieving heart. Sometimes, the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, and the Psalms testify to that. It's so important for saints of all ages to remember that we are to sing to God and worship Him in every emotion, be it confusion, hope, elation, wonder, and even despair. Those songs actually inform our grief and help us deal with it properly!

How Music Can Tell a Story: Theatrical Events

Another way music has long been used to tell a story is as part of a theatrical event. First it was the chorus in Greek plays. Then we had the operas all through the renaissance and on... And no, they aren't all about fat ladies singing. =D If you know the story and/or watch an English translation, they are quite entertaining!! Closer to our era the showtunes & Broadway musicals have swept the nation, and they are still going strong! (Think Phantom of the Opera & Wicked.) Children's movies- especially earlier Disney movies- were based on this principle, with many songs being used to tell the story. Finally, there is the source of the most popular newly-composed music of our day: the quite "functional" movie soundtrack. I'd say these ideas are appropriate for grade to middle school, or even high school. I'll have more suggestions for pre- and kindergarden soon! (they're my favorite age group to teach, so I'm saving them).

The following suggestions could be taken as chronological steps, each spanning a month or two. The soundtrack is very accessible if kids have seen the movie (often Disney soundtracks are pretty musically decent-- Mulan, Lion King, and The Little Mermaid especially. An added bonus is that each of these captures a "foreign" flair, which you can also tie into geography and world culture. But I list the soundtrack as the last "step" in this progression because it has no words.

--rent musicals from the library (some great ones are The Prince of Egypt, Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, Anne of Green Gables, Annie, My Fair Lady, Hello Dolly, The Fantastics, & The Pirates of Penzance. )
-- play selections of musicals like Camelot, The Phantom of the Opera & Wicked, all of which have themes either too scary or delicate for your children to watch in entirity, but have AMAZING get-in-your-blood songs. Tell the story, let them hear it, and be prepared to repeat.
-- discuss the idea of "motif"-- a musical phrase that always occurs with the entrance of a certain character, object, or event. Classic example: both the good guys & Darth Vadar's themes in John Williams' Star Wars. Once they've gotten the idea, try to identify themes in operas, in movie soundtracks, in musicals. Sometimes kids might pick up on phrases that are repeated in later songs in plays, etc.-- often these are motifs, too.
-- tell your children the stories (they make great bed-time tales) of your favorite musicals and then take them to see those musicals as a treat. Many musicals will have showings especially for school-aged children during the day.
-- tell your children the story of operas and let them watch clips (which you've previewed) on YouTube. I recommend Mozart's to start (The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute, Don Juan, Woman Are Like That). Wagner can get a little creepy and weird, not to mention dissonant. This is a great experience for all you adults too! I'll give more specific tips for this particular idea later.
-- check out soundtracks to movies (public libraries often have these)-- these are often the most dramatic music out there. Great examples are any of John Williams' (ET, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Star Wars) or Klaus Badelt (Pirates of the Carribbean) or Hans Zimmer (Gladiator, The Lion King, Pirates of the Carribbean, The Last Samurai, Kung Fu Panda). The Lord of the Rings soundtracks (Howard Shore) are wonderful, too. Let your kids listen to a track and imagine what's happening in it. If you've seen the movie, you could tell them a part of the story. This especially excites kids who love the movie characters or have seen the movies.

I will later post a concrete lesson plan as an example, but for now suffice it to say that taking 1/2 hour 2ce a week to do these activities-- call them listen & learn-- would do wonders for your child's interest in music. Use it as a "break" between 2 challenging subjects, or as a way to get back into gear after lunch.

How Music Can Tell a Story: The Ballad

Since man was created, he has set words to music to make them more memorable. The ballad is something integral to almost every culture; before writing existed and written records were common, memorized stories -often set to music to make them more memorable- were THE way a nation, family, or king's histories were remembered from generation to generation. These simple story-songs can be found in the Psalms, ancient poetry, folk songs, all the way up to today's rock 'n' roll ballads and country music songs. These stories-to-music are often the most accesible to children because they exist for the sole purpose of telling stories, and who doesn't love a good story? As I used to sing to my preschoolers "A ballad is a song that tells a story/it might be true, or it might not be/ a ballad is a song/ a sung story." Here are a few common ones that kids love, linked to books about them or tangential to them:

-- for the very youngest, there are all those nursery rhymes-- Jack & Jill, Mary Had a Little Lamb, The Itsy-Bitsy Spider, Hey Diddle Diddle... The Complete Book of Rhymes Songs & Fingerplays and Wee Sing Mother Goose are two very inclusive ones. Many of the nursery rhymes have picture books devoted to them. You can also find coloring pages of them to print from online.

• The Itsy Bitsy Spider, by Iza Trapini
• The Bear Went Over the Mountain, by John Prater
• The Bunny Reads series by Rosemary Wells (Twinkle, Twinkle; The Bear Went Over; The Itsy Bitsy Spider)

-- Froggy Went A-Courtin', by either Iza Trapini or Gillian Tyler or John Langstaff. Truth be known, my sisters & I came to know this American folk song through this story-on-tape at our grandma's house.
-- Over the River & Through the Woods, by Lydia Maria Child. A great accompaniment to your Thanksgiving celebrations.
-- There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly, by Simms Taback
--The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night- Nickel Creek's version is my all-time favorite of this American folk song. My 5-8th grade boys LOVED this book version, by Peter Spier.

(as usual, they use this song to show off their amazing talent and go off on random amazingly cool tangents. On the actual CD it's just the straight up song, which most kids appreciate more.)
-- while I'm on the topic of Nickel Creek, a great many of their songs are in fact, ballads ("The Lighthouse," "The Hand Song," "The Fox," "Sweet Afton"). And all of them on their first album, simply entitled Nickel Creek, are really well-done. Go buy the album!

-- The Middle Earth Album, by Glass Hammer, is meant to be set in the middle of JRR Tolkien's Prancing Pony Inn of The Hobbit fame. It has several rollicking good yarns about trolls and ladies and elves and even Tom Bombadil. If your kids have read The Hobbit, this is almost a must-have.

-- The Ballad of John Henry, another American folk song, has several books of it. I read this one aloud to my middle school boys choir class. The version I grew up on can be found on the Wee Sing America CD.
-- last but not least, there is the Celtic ballad. The Irish in particular had perfected the art of story-telling music, with professional bards called filid at every ruler's court, entrusted with memorizing, performing, and writing songs detailing the clan's history and their ruler's feats. In their tradition, Loreena McKennit is an amazing perfomer of many, many ballads including Alfred Noyes' The Highwayman and The Lady of Shalott. The Tanahill Weavers' Best Of album also has two ballad recountings of the Battle of Prestonpans which will delight most boys and girls: "Tranet Muir" & "Jonnie Cope"

Christians can also find "stories behind the Psalms" in the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles.

Music for Worship: Hymns

Hymns are so vital to a Christian family's walk that they get their own post. Many hymns tell a story, a story through salvation ("What Wondrous Love is This?" & "Amazing Grace") or from despair to joy ("Pensive, Doubting, Fearful Heart" and "From Whence This Fear and Unbelief?"). Many also have their roots in personal experience. While it is tremendously important for your children to see YOU interacting with the hymns, it is also enriching for them to know how those songs came to be in the first place. We tend to remember that for which we have multiple levels of experience. Here are several books you may find helpful. As always, please let me know of others you know and love!

-- All Things Bright & Beautiful, illustrated by Anna Vojtech- I have loved reading this picture book of this familiar hymn to my Hannah. The pictures are just wonderful. Though it doesn't tell a story so much as describe a setting, it is a setting so familiar to children that they easily connect it to their own experience.
--Morning Has Broken, illustrated by Eleanor Farjeon, is similar.
--the Hymns for a Kid's Heart series, by Bobbie Wolgemuth & Joni Earakson Tada- each of the 4 volumes in this series tells stories behind a dozen hymns in a way that children can understand and relate to, and each comes with a CD of the hymns introduced. I like the CDs, but I do admit that I think the adult voices aren't the best. =D
-- a little more advanced, and without the cool CD, is the 101 Hymn Stories series, by Kenneth W. Osbeck.
--Stories Behind the Hymns that Inspire America, by Ace Collins, details hymns dear to our nation's heart.

I also highly recommend looking around a bit for the stories behind your favorite modern worship songs. CD liner notes can be gold mines. Also look online-- google the song's name, then the words "story behind." Including the song's performing artist can help, too. For example, you could do "steven curtis chapman cinderella story behind." Often artists explain backgrounds to their songs in interviews, so look for reviews of your favorite CDs or interviews of your favorite artists.

Want Your Kids to Love Music? Let Them Watch YOU Lovin' It!

This will be the first of (I hope) many posts on incorporating music into your daily life, either as a supplement to school outside the home, or as an integral part of your home school. Kids NEED music, more than most people know... and so many parents I've talked to are more intimidated than they need to be in this area! I got an email from friends who are homeschooling their 3 sons, and it made my heart leap-- finally, the last push to blog on this topic. Here is a part of thier request:

"The problem is that the boys don't really enjoy music. I'm not averse to education as an "eat your vegetables" sort of enterprise, but I do want them to have an appreciation for music that I was not given. [...] I know this is terribly broad, but do you have suggestions that might help? How do I generate interest?"

But let's walk before we run. Baby steps (or would that be half-steps? Naw, that's too music-nerdy). The discussion of helping kids get "into" music reminds me very much of the discussion on helping kids get "into" reading. It's so similar that I recommend Jim Trelease's The Read-Aloud Handbook for you, the parent/instructor. Take everything he recommends about a love of reading, and apply it to a love of music. If you want your kids to honestly love music, the first CRUCIAL point is for them to see YOU loving music. Music, like reading & visual art, is both functional (we use it for things like memory retention or relaxation or worship), and aesthetic (we listen to it just because we like it). Thus, it's extra-easy to incorporate it into everything, whether it's a school subject or just a sunny day. The key is to do it with them-- don't just turn the CD player on and walk away. Here are some suggestions for that:

--make music a part of your daily family life. Sing to your kids-- silly songs, hymns, lullabies, old favorites.
--sometimes play your favorite music in the car. You don't always have to listen to "101 Bible Songs for Kids." I've often spiced up a carpool ride with a good ol' rollicking 80s power ballad ("Livin' on a Prayer") or country tune ("This Everyday Love") or a pop song, or a song to help me strengthen my faith (Sara Groves or Sandra McCracken or Indelible Grace). The kids LOVE for me to "tell them the story" of the song, or tell them a part I like, and they giggle when I start belting out the lyrics. They often ask for these songs, and soon they're singing along. This is teaching them that music is a part of my narrative, and by extrapolation, part of their narrative; it's their birthright as a human.
-- let your kids interview you about your favorite songs, especially hymns. I'll post an actual interview from my middle school teaching later.
-- tell stories in which music played an integral role; like your grandma singing "The Old Rugged Cross," or your dad playing "It Had to be You" to propose to your mom.
-- often discuss music in a spiritual context-- let your kids know when a certain song's truth moved you to worship or melted your hard heart or delivered you from fear
-- turn music on as you clean and do chores. Dancing in the kitchen is a distinct possiblity.
-- tie music to stories; musicals, ballads, operas, soundtracks to movies, even hymns-- these are all ways music is used to tell stories every day, and has been for centuries. An entire post on this coming soon.
-- do a chart, maybe for a week or a month, with columns for each avenue of music (TV, car, CDs, church, etc), and a row for each day. Let them put stickers or check marks for each type they've heard that day
-- expand the chart into a journal, maybe a week-long, on all the types of music they hear. Each day have them list all the music they've heard- in the car, on the radio, on a TV commercial, at church, over the speaker at the mall, on their computer game- and/or what their favorite type was. This really helps kids realize how much they already DO like music.
-- incorporate music into family worship and family holidays. Think beyond Christmas carols and "Happy Birthday to You." Is there a hymn you could sing every Thanksgiving? A silly parody you could write for family reunions? A musical you could watch every Midsummer's Day? An album you could crank up every birthday or St Patrick's Day? The possibilites here are endless. There are so many kooky holidays you wouldn't even believe it...
-- talk about music; ask "how did it make you feel?" "what did you think of?" Don't always feel like they have to write it down or do a project on it; just talk about it like it's a normal part of every day life. Because it IS a normal part of every-day life! =D
-- if you play an instrument, let them see/hear you play it
-- take your kids to recitals and concerts. Talk it up, give them things to listen for (the highest note) or watch for (expressions, hand movements), stay only as long as they can stay interested (just leave during applause, NOT during a song!), and then go out to get ice cream. Be amazed at the things people can do!
-- point out the marching band at sporting events. See how many instruements you can identify together. Pick a favorite song each half-time.
-- listen to music from many cultures. Wee Sing Around the World is a good starting point. There are lots of CD albums from different countries, if you just walk into a CD store and ask. More on this later. (Need I mention that this would so easily tie into geography, social studies, & history?)
-- listen to music from the past- Northon's Anthology of Western Music is a great series, and if you get the accompanying books the kids can look at the scores and be intrigued. This is a COLLEGE text book, so don't try and teach from it, but it can definitely give you the parent background info, and then you can digest it and then use it to present different songs to your kids.
-- listen to music from our own history- Wee Sing America is amazing for this.
-- read books about composers, about songs, about musical plays and characters (more on this later)

Is that enough? Don't feel like you have to try to incorporate every one of these ideas every day. Just take one or two and see how they work for you. I'll bet if you start looking for music, you'll find it all around you, and even start to see spots where it's just begging to be pushed in.

--A slightly-impassioned-lover-of-music

PS: my long-term goal for this: I want to give parents all the tools they need to teach music history, the very simplest music theory, so simple I'll call it "music mechanics," music appreciation, and last and best, musical enjoyment in their own home. Later this year I hope to begin a kinder-music-ish program in my home, for preschoolers and young elementary schoolers, and I'll be using that to try out new lesson plans, and will be posting those on here, as well as the tried-and-true lessons I've taught for the past 3 years as a preschool teacher and middle school choir director. I may get Ryan to help me create a separate page or blog for those, because I envision them taking up quite a lot of "room." =D

Hoping and Praying

To go to this conference:

7 mos old

May 13th, 2010

Dear Eowyn,
This last month has flown by. You are growing faster than our little tomato plants, and are much more fun than they are. You've learned to crawl, to unscrew screw-on lids (to your own great astonishment), to yell just for the fun of it, to push yourself up onto your feet like a little tepee, to drink from a sippy cup on your own (though I still have to help you lie down when there's just a little bit left), and to reach for things, including us. Your separation "anxiety" has grown as much as your mobility. You wail if I leave the room, even if you can see me and could crawl to me if you wanted to. Though you cry as soon as I hand you off to someone else, they tell me you settle down and are Miss Sunshine until we come get you. You really are a fun little critter. :) Today when I came to get you at school, you were playing happily with your teacher, and as soon as you saw me, you burst into tears. It was so obvious that both Mrs. Vandaveer and I burst out laughing, which you did not appreciate.

You are pretty regularly sleeping through the night, although with all the traveling we've done-- to Oregon & back, and with me to Greenville for a long weekend-- and little illnesses you've had, you waking once (or twice, unfortunately) in the night to eat isn't totally rare. You've put yourself on more of a 4 hour schedule for eating, usually taking 2 2-hour naps and one shorter one, and going to bed "for the night" at 8:30 or so. You wake up happy around 7, nurse, and then if we don't have to go anywhere, I change you, kiss on you, and put you in your crib with some soft toys. Then I crawl back in bed. You play happily for an hour or so and fall asleep, paci in mouth and blankie around yourself, until 10:30ish. Then we're both ready to eat (again) and start our day!

Eating has been quite the adventure for you! You like sitting in your high chair, and you especially like holding your spoon. When you get really into eating, you lean forward and breathe really really fast. Sometimes you shoot forward towards the spoon, and if I'm not careful you'll totally miss the spoon! Your favorites are zucchini and avocado-- you'll eat 2/3 of an avocado all by yourself in one sitting! You also enjoy pear, apple, carrot, squash, rutabaga, fermented sweet potato, egg yolk and fermented sweet & red potatoes mixed together. No more banana, though. It ties your tummy up in knots. You seem to enjoy your daily fermented cod liver oil (which is more than I can say), and take garlic oil whenever you get congested, without any complaint. You even want to suck on the syringe... yuck.

Your understanding has grown, too. You understand when we tell you not to touch, when we tell you to lie still on the changing table, and you're learning that you aren't allowed to crawl into the kitchen. You seem like a quick learner. Just a few days ago you figured out how to turn your "aquarium" on. Now we hear music, bubbles and see a glow under your door at the oddest hours. You grin SO big when you smack that button to turn it on! When we tell you not to touch, you draw back and grin at us. Of course we shower you with praise. Your smile is amazing. I'm wondering what sort of temperament you'll have. You seem sooooo happy, but then again, when we take something away that you wanted- a used spoon or dirty bib- you cry and scream and positively howl with anger.

My least favorite part of this "stage" of your life, though, is your habits while nursing. Instead of eating when you're hungry, you want to eat AND watch everything going on. Gone are the days of nursing you with just a blanket for cover. I have to take you to the most boring, quiet, dimly lit corner I can find, and even then you tend to start eating, then suddenly decide something's fascinating and suddenly stop... leaving both of us soaked and frustrated. You don't seem to realize that eating would make you feel better. *sigh* At least you're alert and interested in the world around you, munchkin.

Your favorite toys are ducks-- rubber duckies in the bath, a duck on wheels from Mama Lulu, or the little duck that once was a wet bag dispenser-- your shoes, straps & strings-- especially one string of Mardi Gras "beads" (they don't come apart) that I keep in a cloth bag. You love taking it out of its bag and playing with it. I put my sewing machine in your room and sometimes will sew with you playing nearby. We're happy just being near each other. I usually talk to you and echo your own noises back to you, to your great delight. Your favorite game is still "Boo!" You also love it when Daddy sings silly songs-- he gets you giggling with his falsetto. It's super cute and we hope you do it more often!

I love you, darling, and nothing makes me gladder than seeing you see me and grin with delight.

Love,
Mommy

Her first ever toe-nail polish (April 23rd)