By Lynn, on January 24th, 2008%
My princess and I had a date to play dolls tonight, but when I went around to find her she was asleep. She needs to rest since she’s been sick, so I tucked her into bed. I decided to make something for her — a chimney cupboard! She’ll also have some new dolls tomorrow, as I stepped into a local toy store today and could not resist a family of wooden dolls.
The chimney cupboard is made of match boxes. (They are great for making furniture.) Each drawer has a different little button for the drawer pull.
The doll family admires the beautiful veneer on one side of the cupboard…
and then the other side. It is actually a few pieces of paper cut from some scrapbook material I have, glued into place and then covered with a coat of mod podge.
But what’s this?
It’s a little letter for my darling!
What does it say?
We’re rowing Roxaboxen right now and my daughter just loved our first reading of it tonight. This little letter will be a fun “find” for her tomorrow while I am at work. Her dolls can play Roxaboxen.
They’ll need the pretty treasure.
Happy rowing and happy doll house playing,
Lynn
By Lynn, on January 24th, 2008%
I want to tell you about “The Art Wall.” It is a place in our home where an artist is showcased for a period of time. Several major works are placed on the wall in the form of postcards or small posters, the titles of the works placed underneath them, and information about the artist put up as well. Most times the postcards will tell you what medium the artist worked in — oils, water colors, etc. That is placed on the wall as well.
This month’s artist is John William Waterhouse.
The works included are:
- Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May
- Miranda, The Tempest
- Study from La Belle Dame Sans Merci
- The Awakening of Adonis
The benefits of doing this are many. Not only do the children learn to recognize the style of the artist being studied, but they place that person on their own mental timeline. In addition, many paintings lead into studies of various literary works and historical events. For example, this particular set of works leads to studies of Greek mythology, John Keats, William Shakespeare, and Robert Herrick and the meaning of carpe diem.
I am always on the lookout for art-themed postcards at thrift stores, but other places to look are book stores, print and poster shops, museums, art galleries, and little gift shops. They are usually only 75 cents to 3 dollars apiece.
Have fun if you decide to create your own art wall!
Lynn
By Lynn, on January 23rd, 2008%
Homeschooling: A Patchwork of Days: Share a Day With 30 Homeschooling Families
I want to tell you about this book. I think you would like it, BUT you must have in your mind before you begin to read it one of my favorite sayings: Comparison is the death of contentment.
Okay?
Actually, this book is a great resource for illustrating that no two families are the same at all; it can help one to realize that there’s no sense in comparing, because no two families could be exactly alike even if they tried.
Still, some of the families in this book have it so together and have so many wonderful things going on, it’s hard not to get that old “woe is me” attitude. There are a few moms in the book who work in addition to homeschooling, so that was encouraging to me personally.
What’s to love about this book:
- Who doesn’t enjoy a peek into someone else’s life? With this book you get to peek into 30 homes.
- This book doesn’t just talk about “school,” but describes how homes are set up, how messy or neat they are, who in the family works, quirks between kids, etc.
- There is an abundance of ideas — things I had never thought of. We will definitely be adopting several of them.
- It does not have to be read all at one time nor does it have to be read in order. You can read about one family this week, another family next week. Or you can go through and find a family with two children, or four children — whatever you have, and see how their schedule compares to yours. (Okay, sometimes one has to compare!)
- I found it very motivating to read about what other families were accomplishing. (Anything that motivates is worth a pretty penny around here.)
I don’t want to fall short at the end of any given day because I have focused on the wrong things. Things not “wrong” by virtue, but just put at the top of my priority list at the wrong time of my life. Our home needs to be livably clean, but I need to remember to not put house-cleaning above my children’s educational and emotional needs. Don’t get me wrong; our children need to learn to do chores and balance housekeeping, learning, and working in their own lives, but it’s too easy to get caught up in making our homes ”perfect.”
I love this line from the book regarding Nancy Lande’s homeschool day:
Our home looks well lived in, warm, and has an air of, well…clutter.
Yes, I like that.
Thinking on this book today led me to write my own typical “day.” Reading this book helped me with my perspective.
By the way, Nancy Lande’s website can be found at www.windycreek.com
And there is a newer version of the book called Homeschool Open House that I would like to read after I work through my current stack of books to be read.
Lynn
By Lynn, on January 23rd, 2008%
Ahhh, carrot juice! Just what I need to be able to handle my computer loss for a few days. (I’m having way too much fun with these graphics.)
So it’s goodbye, computer. At least for a few days. My computer has slowed way down. I get messages that my virtual memory is low. I am sure the case is full of dust bunnies. It’s time to take it to my favorite computer guys and have it worked on. Hopefully, it will come home to me in 3 or 4 days with more memory, dust free, and faster than before. What’ll I do without my trusty computer? I guess I’ll hop on the laptop and surf when needed, but all my files are here on my computer, so I’m sure there’ll be a bit of withdrawal. It will be a good time for me to finish up some books I’ve been reading and write some book reviews.
Yes, she’s scary! It got so cold, my daughter turned into snow girl and she wanted you to see it. Scary.
Actually, that snowball she’s holding has been in my freezer for a few days now. My daughter decided to take it outside and break it, only it wasn’t so easy to break.
First she threw it down hard on the sidewalk, but it just bounced and rolled away. Jasper (the cat) ran after it.
Then she tried to kick it, but that didn’t do anything but hurt her toes.
She finally took a garden tool and chipped away at it for a little while. I did not stay to see the final outcome.
Speaking of Jasper, because of my husband’s allergy and medical problems, we got rid of our longtime indoor cat, Tabitha. She went to a very good home and we are happy that she is happy where she is. Still, my daughter mourned the loss of her pet. Thankfully, a stray cat — known now as Jasper, has taken up on our front porch and has become my daughter’s beloved outdoor cat. Actually there is another cat as well — Fluffy, but she wasn’t around for the snowball-breaking event.
Isn’t she pretty? She got the name Jasper before we realized it was a female cat.
Lynn
By Lynn, on January 22nd, 2008%
Well, I am sticking with the 3-column Cutline theme by Chris Pearson. I love its features. I love the fact that you can insert a little bit of code and have the random headers. Eventually, I will learn to work with the custom CSS sheet to change all the colors and background at will.
So, even though I love the black, I have decided that I will just continue to learn all I can about the Cutline themes (I feel Chris Pearson will certainly continue to make more themes and probably will continue to change Cutline as WordPress changes).
To quench my thirst for a black background — for now, I have designed five random headers on black backgrounds. They all have an ornate, Victorian flair, which I absolutely love, as evidenced by one of my other sites, Innately Gray. I find that I love making headers. (Like I needed anything else to draw me to my computer each day.)
Are these some little sweeties? And isn’t it cool how you can crop them neatly right out of a picture and use them in wonderful graphic projects? Well, I think so anyway.
Lynn
By Lynn, on January 21st, 2008%
It was down in the low teens here last night. Brrrrr.
The sky is blue today and the sun is bright, so I think the icicles hanging from the roof will melt.
I did go out and place a window over the goldfish pond. (We have a bunch of windows standing in back, waiting for the day husband builds the greenhouse.) It should help heat the water up today.
Lynn
By Lynn, on January 20th, 2008%
Anyone who visits my blog every day knows that the “Mighty Carrot” post was further down. I deleted it and then reposted it. Why? For some reason, my blog would not fully load. I was thinking that maybe it was something in that particular post — I had trouble with it the first time I posted it. Anyway, I DON’T think it’s that post. It’s something somewhere else, and it could be with some other server that my blog is trying to pull something from.
Anway, I want you to know that it’s NOT because I want you to read about carrots every time you come here.
What’s new here… Some things on my bathroom shelf.
I bought some new stuff tonight on my break. I gotta love working at a place where breaks are for shopping. Not just any shopping, but all natural, really cool stuff.
I’ve been needing some new lotions for my face, especially around my eyes. My skin gets so dry in the winter. I love our warm, old, gas heaters, but they do dry out the house. Tonight I bought a borage cleanser, which has omega-6; a really wonderful face cream — it feels like silk; and, a cream for around the eyes that has red tea in it. I am so happy.
Heather, I am sorry my blog goes from black to white and black to white, and please look for it to change again. (I bet you’re not the only one who’s noticed.)
I am still in a testing frame of mind. I still have not found the blog theme that makes me say, perfect.
Lynn
By Lynn, on January 20th, 2008%
The carrot: another item that I try to consume daily and give to my family daily.
How?
- Put fresh through the juicer
- Peeled, diced and candied on the stovetop in an iron skillet
- Fresh carrot sticks with dip
Why?
- Carrots provide a lot of beta-carotene which is useful in cancer treatment, prevention of macular degeneration, and boosting the immune system (they do this in many ways: think T-cells, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging)
- Carrots provide minerals, A, B, and C vitamins
- Carrot juice provides help internally for diarrhea and intestinal disorders and shows up as a beauty benefit externally by helping skin — both problem skin and normal skin
- Fresh carrot juice provides calcium to help build healthy and strong bones and teeth
- Carrots contain lutein and many, many more valuable nutrients for your body
Carrots to improve night vision is a longtime folk remedy. Wonder why?
Carrots are root vegetables, many root vegetables being powerhouses when it comes to nutrition.
What can beta-carotene do for you?
- Reduce the risk of vision ailments, including cataracts
- May possibly reduce the formation of nitrosamines in the stomach
- Convert to vitamin A in your body
- Reduce cancer risk
- Provide soluble fiber, which may in turn help your blood cholesterol levels
- Many other things
Trivia — did you know that our cultivated carrot (Daucus carota sativa) was bred selectively over the years from Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota)? Wow.
Queen Anne’s lace, or wild carrot, has many uses medically, which I won’t even touch on here. Just know that it has been researched scientifically. Carrots are powerful.
Lynn
Disclaimer: This website does not provide medical treatment and is not meant to give medical advice. These posts are solely for Lynn’s journaling of her own daily nutritional and food intake.
Information comes from years of reading, studying herbs in the garden and with other herbalists, and a variety of books, including:
Desk Reference to Nature’s Medicine (National Geographic) by Steven Foster and Rebecca L. Johnson (thank you Dr. Larrier!)
The Healing Power of Food (Health and Healing the Natural Way)
Prescription for Dietary Wellness: Using Foods to Heal 2nd Edition by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
By Lynn, on January 20th, 2008%
Let it snow! That’s what my children were saying yesterday. They really wanted snow, especially my youngest. We didn’t get enough to really play in though. The foliage is pretty heavily laden, but many patches of bare dirt and pavement are lacking snow. It just soaked into the ground and made mud. At least it will be mud when the temp rises.
It’s pretty where we actually have snow. It was really a soft, flaky snow that fell.
The goldfish pond is completely frozen over. I’ll have to go out soon and break the ice so they can get some fresh air.
Lynn
By Lynn, on January 20th, 2008%
I know that goes on a lot here. Yes ma’am. But I have been learning and playing around with what I like best. I have been learning about how a little bit of code can cause your header to rotate randomly between several different headers. I have been looking around at the various wordpress widgets available. I have been seeing what works with what.
I agree with Heather (she left a comment below) that the black is best and, yes, dramatic. It is actually my favorite, too. Things here will probably not change too much more. (ha ha ha ha ha) Maybe just a little bit. From time to time.
Lynn
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About Lynn
I am a 40-something-year-old mother of four delightful children, have been married for 22 years to my carpenter husband, and live in a 1921 farm-style house. I find the most joy in my garden, growing and harvesting herbs and flowers and caring for our pet rabbits.
I have a 21-year-old son, a 19-year-old son, a 16-year-old son, and a bright and bubbly (and very funny) 11-year-old daughter who is homeschooled.
I'm a North Carolina girl and I love sharing North Carolina links and information. I'm a book lover, bird lover, gardener and aspiring herbalist. I seek no help for my thrift store addiction. I do medical transcription from home part-time.
The Players
Mom and Dad
Daniel
Big Joe
John
Princess of the Universe
Annie
Oreo
Coco
Basil
Midnight
Boomerang
A Pond of Goldfish
My Symphony
To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony.
William Henry Channing
1810-1884
Contact Me 
I would  for you to leave a comment, but you can also e-mail me at lynn AT thehealthyhomeschool.com
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