tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-374918652024-03-07T13:11:06.223-05:00Thou and Thou OnlyRiches we heed not, nor man's empty praise.<br><br>
This blog belongs to the family of JunkMale, a Christian and Georgia Tech alumnus. Target demographics might include conservative Christian, healthy-eating, homeschooling, interracial families, and others who do not call this world "home." Where homemade is usually better than store-bought. For more info, click the "About" link below.Harmonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15105846442509828835noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-35024504005765181262011-05-19T17:22:00.003-04:002011-05-19T19:03:00.646-04:00Recent Facebook statusesFor my few remaining readers who do not also check my facebook status (I think that amounts to just my dad). So for the benefit of my dad, who misses all of these cute moments....<br /><br /><br /><br /><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":"msg"}"><span class="messageBody">All day today, whenever I give something to Pearl she says "코마와!" (A slightly convoluted version of the Korean for "thank you") I wonder what made her suddenly start saying that instead of "thank you"?</span></h6><br /><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":"msg"}"><span class="messageBody">What initially looked like random scribbles in my crossword book turn out to be remarkably consistent: small scribbles in individual squares, scribbles over the clue numbers "marking them off", and sprawling scribbles in the margins making "notes". I didn't realize she paid so much attention to what I was doing...</span></h6><br /><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":"msg"}"><span class="messageBody">Pearl: Voldemort good, Harry Potter likes him!<br /><br />Umm... She seems to have missed a key point.... ;-)</span></h6><br /><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":"msg"}"><span class="messageBody">She must sleep better with a clean conscience. Pearl's last words before falling asleep tonight: "Pearl say 미안해. I throw dirt on Luna. 미안해, Luna."<br /><br />(미안해 means 'I'm sorry'. And the most recent dirt incident occurred several days ago.)</span></h6><br /><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":"msg"}"><span class="messageBody">Watching little girls attempt to dance like ballerinas must be one of the funniest spectacles in the world.</span></h6>Harmonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15105846442509828835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-11447918832608440392011-01-19T07:00:00.000-05:002011-01-19T07:00:15.859-05:002010 in 12 Pictures<u><center>January:</u><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSsKw5XRxI/AAAAAAAADnQ/1YluIP-uMF8/s1600/IMGP3053.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563260740633577234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 268px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSsKw5XRxI/AAAAAAAADnQ/1YluIP-uMF8/s400/IMGP3053.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><u>February:</u><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSsLKfrICI/AAAAAAAADnY/bOn036wwsj0/s1600/IMGP3089.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563260747505147938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 268px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSsLKfrICI/AAAAAAAADnY/bOn036wwsj0/s400/IMGP3089.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><u>March:</u><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSsLRc5vCI/AAAAAAAADng/clxM_33ajTs/s1600/IMGP3155.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563260749372570658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSsLRc5vCI/AAAAAAAADng/clxM_33ajTs/s400/IMGP3155.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><u>April:</u><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSsLqQYWRI/AAAAAAAADno/IAZQGy5nNYo/s1600/IMGP3622.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563260756030937362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 268px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSsLqQYWRI/AAAAAAAADno/IAZQGy5nNYo/s400/IMGP3622.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><u>May:</u><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSsL99DRlI/AAAAAAAADnw/4zMx8Lmo6h8/s1600/IMGP3674.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563260761318573650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 268px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSsL99DRlI/AAAAAAAADnw/4zMx8Lmo6h8/s400/IMGP3674.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><u>June:</u><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSsemI4-mI/AAAAAAAADn4/h13vV_4RXpk/s1600/IMGP3845.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563261081343294050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 268px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSsemI4-mI/AAAAAAAADn4/h13vV_4RXpk/s400/IMGP3845.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><u>July:</u><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtidfX2syAv4ExUH4F03rFxj8-cibOR6Gxf2qAtZ3uH6W3IZsAKs8rzsuKDxgYN8Kcve0IQKp9WUTVko66AlJ3WjzCeKi8L6jNwFoa9ZnPSSSVAVo5qIoN7ChRC-zen5T8qwHLg/s1600/IMGP4618.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563261088495176850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvtidfX2syAv4ExUH4F03rFxj8-cibOR6Gxf2qAtZ3uH6W3IZsAKs8rzsuKDxgYN8Kcve0IQKp9WUTVko66AlJ3WjzCeKi8L6jNwFoa9ZnPSSSVAVo5qIoN7ChRC-zen5T8qwHLg/s400/IMGP4618.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><u>August:</u><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSse1KLBnI/AAAAAAAADoA/AgiHp70v0ic/s1600/IMGP4180a.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563261085375202930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 268px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSse1KLBnI/AAAAAAAADoA/AgiHp70v0ic/s400/IMGP4180a.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><u>September:</u><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSsff-Zb3I/AAAAAAAADoQ/eTlteYOjJw0/s1600/IMGP5020.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563261096868540274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 268px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSsff-Zb3I/AAAAAAAADoQ/eTlteYOjJw0/s400/IMGP5020.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><u>October:</u><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSssEdDZ6I/AAAAAAAADog/USvQV16uQwo/s1600/IMGP5197.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563261312819226530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSssEdDZ6I/AAAAAAAADog/USvQV16uQwo/s400/IMGP5197.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><u>November:</u><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSsfc-f0uI/AAAAAAAADoY/Ocw-8laGuVM/s1600/IMGP5058.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563261096063652578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 268px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSsfc-f0uI/AAAAAAAADoY/Ocw-8laGuVM/s400/IMGP5058.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><u>December:</u><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSsscZ5eoI/AAAAAAAADoo/bHoy2_d425U/s1600/IMGP5561.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563261319248444034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/TTSsscZ5eoI/AAAAAAAADoo/bHoy2_d425U/s400/IMGP5561.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></center>JunkMalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02619673168896233941noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-15827579893675821422011-01-11T10:31:00.002-05:002011-01-11T10:36:09.440-05:00Mommy advice neededPearl has recently learned how to get partially out of her car seat. Although I feel like I am strapping her in there tightly enough, she is still able to wriggle her arms out of the restraints. This usually happens when she is upset with being in the car seat and is crying. Of course, that amounts to at least 33% of the time we're in the car. :-P<br /><br />Has anyone else had a Houdini baby? How do you keep your child safe without cutting off blood circulation?Harmonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15105846442509828835noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-168515253617636282010-12-26T22:17:00.002-05:002010-12-26T23:04:26.945-05:00We are still alive!Despite what you might think, we are still here. The poor blog has been woefully neglected. Which of you still subscribe, I wonder? We will hopefully start posting more posts in the new year. It's a bit silly to wait until the new year to do so, but that's the plan.<br /><br />We have been busy with life, mostly Pearl related. For anyone who reads here but is not Facebook friends, Pearl is a thriving 18 month old toddler. She still does not eat very much except for momma's milk, but her weight is acceptable to the doctor, I think. Her vocabulary grows every day, along with her wits.<br /><br />The events that prompted me to write this post are as follow: we had been visiting my parents in Florida. They, of course, were overjoyed to have the opportunity to spoil their granddaughter. Before we left, I turned off the heat completely, under the guise of saving money. Readers from cold climates will realize that this was a very foolish decision. Compounding the foolish decision was the fact that there were several warnings that we curiously ignored. Here is a list:<br /><ul><li>While we were pulling out of the driveway, I realized that I had forgotten to turn the heat off. I should have ignored this and left it forgotten, but I didn't.</li><br /><li>At this point, Harmony remarked that it would be cooooold when we got back, but for some reason, this didn't register as anything but a statement of fact (not a warning).</li><br /><li>Then, as I was driving my ladies to the airport, we heard the weather guy on the radio say that due to the cold weather, thermostats should be left at least at 55. At this point, I should have went back to the house and turned the heat on. But I didn't.</li><br /><li>I also had the thought that we should have given a spare key to someone. But we didn't.</li></ul><br /><br />It was decided this morning that we really needed to do something about the lack of heat in the house. I was still in Florida this morning, and I am now in Georgia, so obviously we decided that I needed to come home early. I came home to a house that was 42 degrees. Not quite as bad as I thought. Best of all though, I came back to a house that was mercifully spared from burst frozen pipes. <br /><br />Lessons learned:<br /><ul><li>If there is the slightest possibility of a deep freeze, leave the thermostat on!</li><br /><li>Leave spare keys with trusted friends who live somewhat nearby!</li><br /><li>Don't ignore the weather guy, especially when you have left your house but are within an hour's drive from it</li></ul><br /><br />Following these tips could have saved me from cutting the visit short. As a consequence, I am back in Georgia two days earlier, with only Luna and a messy house to keep me company ;)JunkMalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02619673168896233941noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-23967606928647895992010-04-07T15:13:00.005-04:002010-04-07T15:39:44.781-04:00Can you tell me why...... I can serenely and sweetly fold the same article of clothing ten times when Pearl is <strike>wreaking havoc</strike> <strike>affirming that nature loves entropy</strike> helping me with the laundry, and yet I want to pull out my hair when I have to stop folding that same piece of clothing and stop her from pulling Luna's ear or pulling plugs out of sockets?<br /><br /><br />... God decided to make pollen an allergen? Or more specifically, why did God made antihistamines dry up my milk supply? <i>One</i> Claritin, that's all I took, and the next day was slim pickings for Pearl.<br /><br /><br />... Pearl cannot seem to learn that biting is very, very bad, ouch, don't DO that, you're leaving marks on me, NO, that <i>hurts</i>? And why is <i>she</i> the one who winds up crying when <i>I'm</i> the one in pain?<br /><br /><br />Blogging is therapeutic. :-)Harmonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15105846442509828835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-56269503215696806232010-03-16T08:05:00.002-04:002010-03-16T08:05:00.124-04:00New JunkFamily RulesIn the style of <a href="http://heartkeepercommonroom.blogspot.com/search/label/Rules%20Mama%20Never%20Told%20Me%20I%27d%20Need%20To%20Make">Common Room family rules</a>.<br /><ol><li>Babies are not allowed to climb the baby gate.</li><li>Pulling out the puppy's bottom-hairs and then trying to eat them is strictly forbidden.</li><li>If you pull your own hair hard enough to make you cry, Mama will comfort you, but I'm allowed to laugh at you at the same time.</li><li>Do NOT try to balance one leg on the bed and one leg hanging off the side, even though the mattress is on the floor. Not even if you're holding on to the end table, too.</li><li>Don't use the diaper pail to try to stand up!</li><li>Toilet paper is not a toy!</li><li>The kitchen trash can is not a toy basket. Please refrain from pulling "toys" out of it!</li><li>You are not allowed to climb <i>INTO</i> the dishwasher.</li><li>Nightlights should remain in the wall sockets.</li><li>If you choose to pull books off the bookshelves and onto your head, please choose something lighter than a hardback copy of Les Miserables.<br /></li></ol>Why is it I feel like I'm raising my little sister? ;-)Harmonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15105846442509828835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-53896305244912414422010-02-17T09:15:00.002-05:002010-02-17T10:42:06.708-05:00BreakthroughRegular readers will remember that I have been having trouble getting housework done. This was mostly because I was attempting to function on next-to-no sleep with a baby who cried anytime she wasn't held and continued to cry until she was picked up. I think if either of those factors had been missing I would have been able to accomplish more. If I had been getting better sleep at night, I might have been able to handle doing chores while listening to a crying baby without crying myself. And if Pearl had been content to sit quietly in a playpen, on the floor, or in the bumbo next to me, I think I could have pushed through even though I was exhausted. But that is just an assumption, because I never was able to test either of those scenarios.<br /><br />She still doesn't sleep so well at night, although it is better. At the worst of it she was sleeping in 5-10 minute intervals, and out of the about three dozen different things we tried to help her sleep better only Motrin, cutting out solids, and bundling her up super warm at night had any success, with Motrin being the far-away winner.<br /><br />But in the last two weeks we've had a breakthrough. She let me get through with a load of laundry without crying. She even "helped" me fold the clean laundry. And I cleaned the bathroom yesterday <span style="font-style: italic;">while she played happily on her own</span>. (cue angelic chorus)<br /><br />What caused it? Who knows. But in the last month she has made huge strides. She has:<br /><ul><li>mastered crawling</li><li>mastered standing with support and cruising</li><li>started babbling</li><li>cut her first three teeth</li><li>started playing on her own<br /></li></ul>It seems like 7.5-month-old Pearl and 8.5-month-old Pearl are totally different children. She is so different that I have needed to completely shift my thinking about how the house operates.<br /><br />A month ago, housework had to be done as fast as possible while trying to block out a screaming baby. The only way to eat was while holding her, so junk food and convenience foods had infiltrated my house.<br /><br />But this week has been completely different. She will sit peacefully through a short lunch. Chores are leisurely affairs, made all the slower because Pearl can <strike>mess them up</strike> help. She loves pulling clean laundry out of the basket. She thinks that the dish washer is fascinating, and she loved pulling out the spoons from the silverware tray. She thinks the swiffer is a fascinating new toy. In short, this amazing transformation has turned her into a participant in many of the things I need to do anyway.<br /><br />Now, this doesn't mean that all the housework is getting done. I'm still running on fumes all day long. I haven't figured out how to involve her in many things*, like sorting through the mail, cooking, and vacuuming (Pearl, like Luna, seems to take the name Dirt Devil literally), and I can't always find a safe place for her to play while I am doing those things. Those chores I can do with her now take twice as long due to her "help", but it is an incredible improvement if only because instead of dreading those times of day I can now find a joy in doing them with a happy baby beside me.<br /><br />I'm half expecting the novelty of laundry or dishes to wear off in a few weeks, and we'll be right back where we started. But I'm going to milk this for as long as it lasts.<br /><br />*Suggestions, anyone?Harmonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15105846442509828835noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-26847237589531033212010-02-03T08:06:00.001-05:002010-02-03T08:11:40.985-05:00Games Games Games!At the very end of December, we decided that in order to try to wean ourselves off our isolationist leisure activities (computer games for me, voracious reading of internet blogs/news for Harmony), we would get some board games, inspired by my brother-in-law-in-law (or brother-out-law). By board games, we meant <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German-style_board_game" target="new" title="Wikipedia - German-style board game">German-style board games</a>, which, according to Wikipedia, "emphasise strategy, downplay luck and conflict, lean towards economic rather than military themes, and usually keep all the players in the game until it ends. German-style games are sometimes contrasted with American-style games, which generally involve more luck, conflict, and drama." They sort of fill the gap between party games (like Pictionary and the like, which I do not doubt that they can be fun) and abstract strategy games like Go (also which I don't doubt that it can be fun, but I'm not really smart enough to understand how to play Go well). <br /><br />So in the span of a little more than a month, we have acquired five such games, the last one whose delivery was thankfully only delayed one day by winter weather. Here I present them in order of acquisition.<br /><br /><b><u><a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/822/carcassonne" title="Board Game Geek - Carcassonne" target="new2">Carcassonne</a></u></b><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;width: 103px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/S2lyBJpIO3I/AAAAAAAACok/L88E1EPrzeM/s200/carc_from_bgg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433999789493074802" />A tile laying game set in medieval times. Each tile has up to four features on it: a farm field, portion of a city, a monastery, or a road. You score points by placing your figures on a feature. Each tile must be laid touching the side of at least one other tile, and the features on each touching side must match (think dominoes). You can focus on helping yourself or hindering your opponents. Preferably you should do both at the same time. An easy game to pick up...sometimes it's referred to as a "gateway" game, one that non-gamers can easily pick up and that can potentially lead them more into the world of geek gaming. Strangely enough, this game is the most direct-conflict-heavy game that we have, as you can play tiles in a way that makes opponents' features very difficult to complete.<br /><br /><b><u><a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/36218/dominion" target="new" title="Board Game Geek - Dominion">Dominion</a></u></b><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/S2lyVox7V4I/AAAAAAAACos/jSfaZsID8tU/s200/dominion_from_bgg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434000141448861570" />Medieval themed card game, although when you buy the game, you get all the cards, so there's no collectible element like in Magic: The Gathering (so less money spent overall). Instead of playing with preconstructed decks like in Magic, building your deck is part of the game. Players can buy cards from a common pool of cards, which includes money cards, action cards, or victory cards. Money cards are self-explanatory, use them to buy other cards. Each action card lets you bend the rules in some way or another; some will let you buy more cards than you normally can in one turn, some let you "attack" opponents in round-about, indirect, Euro-game-style ways, some let you draw more cards, etc. Victory cards are how you win the game; whoever has the most victory points at game end wins, but most victory cards have no other function other than points at the end. There is much strategy on what cards to buy when. Buy too many victory cards early on and your deck is clogged with useless cards. Buy too many action cards and when you get around to buying victory cards, you realize that your opponent has mounted a great lead while you were busying buying actions. Buy too much money and your options become very limited compared to opponents.<br /><br /><b><u><a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/28143/race-for-the-galaxy" target="new1" title="Board Game Geek - Race for the Galaxy">Race For The Galaxy</a></u></b><br />Taken from elsewhere:<br /><blockquote>In Race for the Galaxy, players build galactic civilizations by game cards that represent worlds or technical and social developments.<br /><br />Each turn each player chooses one action, but the others will share in the actions chosen, each player secretly and simultaneously chooses one of seven different action cards and then reveals it. Only the selected phases occur. For these phases, every player performs the phase’s action, while the selecting player(s) also get a bonus for that phase.</blockquote><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;width: 104px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/S2lyV_WlZuI/AAAAAAAACo0/RndnJetWr1U/s200/rftg_from_bgg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434000147508192994" />One of my favorites. Sci-fi themed card game, but still German-style so there's not much direct conflict, but it still lots of fun. This game usually takes Harmony and me about 40 minutes to play. Definitely not a gateway game, as the efficient but initially cryptic iconography takes a couple of games to learn. Lots of strategy involved, as you can only pick two actions per turn (only one action if you have more than 2 players), but you don't want to pick actions that will help your opponents. The way you pay for cards to put in play is by discarding other cards equal to the target cards price. There's been LOTS of time spent around here mulling over what cards X, Y, and Z I can afford to toss in order to put down this here card A. <br /><br /><b><u><a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/42215/tobago" target="new43" title="Board Game Geek - Tobago">Tobago</a></u></b><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/S2lyWHR_P3I/AAAAAAAACo8/c4J8amWkuwg/s200/tobago_from_bgg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434000149636398962" />Tropical treasure hunting theme. Very pretty game, light and fun. Each game you assemble the board from three double sided pieces, then place the three different kinds of landmarks on the island (statues/monoliths, palm trees, and huts). The way you score points is by digging up treasures, of which there are four. Treasure locations are not predetermined, but rather, players themselves determine where the treasure is by playing clue cards. Clue cards have icons on them to indicate clues such as "In the largest jungle," "Not within two space of a field, or "Directly next to a hut." Any player can contribute clue cards to any treasure map, and when the treasure is unearthed, each contributing player will get a share of the treasure equal to how many clues they contributed towards it. Treasure distribution also has some tactical thinking to it, but I won't go into it here.<br /><br /><b><u><a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/34635/stone-age" target="new3" title="Board Game Geek - Stone Age">Stone Age</a></u></b><br />Description from elsewhere:<br /><blockquote>Players struggle to survive the Stone Age by working as hunters, collectors, farmers, and tool makers. As you gather resources, and raise animals, you work to build the tools needed to build your civilization.<br /><br />Players use up to 10 tribe members each in 3 phases. The first phase players place their men in regions of the board that they think will benefit them, including the hunt, the trading center, or the quarry. In the second phase, the starting player activates each of his staffed areas in whatever sequence he chooses, followed in turn by the other players. In the third phase, players must have enough food available to feed their populations, or face losing resources or points.</blockquote><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;width: 109px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0BDHXnmh1k-3kFEw8Fb0fzL3AiJyTRsvxIY0EeqFGGFOO_8sh5Y6oafK145CCIc3537NkXZe9a7f0qoOQG_1_LkUNUZRhi1eav0q8KJYlbC4n6eZsUwb-s1lBAhgX2eeZ8Uh9g/s200/stone_age_from_bgg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434000153094369954" />We just got this game yesterday evening and played it twice. Initially somewhat intimidating, but we had a pretty good feel for it by the end of the first game. You have a limited number of workers, who you can assign to get food, get resources, make tools, or reproduce. Reproducing obviously gains you a worker, but you must have enough food to support the workers. Resources are used to buy buildings or civilization cards, both of which will add to your victory point score. Nice amount of strategy/tactics in who to assign to do what, and when.<br /><br />I recently sold some stuff on Craigslist and the money has been earmarked for more games :D (with consultation/blessing from Harmony, of course). Next up, <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/478/citadels">Citadels</a> and/or <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/31594/in-the-year-of-the-dragon">In the Year of the Dragon</a>. I have been limited to one new game per month though, which is fine with me. Now that we have Stone Age (I'd been eyeing for a while now), I think my hunger might be abated for the time being.<br /><br />Judging by the demographic who reads this blog, it doesn't seem likely that there will be much interest or questions (aside from maybe SIL), but feel free to leave a comment if you're so inclined.JunkMalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02619673168896233941noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-28473655550920939252010-02-03T06:43:00.004-05:002010-02-03T08:13:23.172-05:00Pearl's 8 Month Performance ReviewWow, 8 months...<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/k1Tvy9EqDpA&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/k1Tvy9EqDpA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />Our Pearl is becoming more and more mobile every day. She has started crawling within the month. At first it was more of a shambling type of move-every-part-of-the-body-so-I-can-move-a-little-forward crawling, but she is now starting the traditional hands-and-knees crawl. <br /><br />She is doing some form of pulling up to standing. If she has something low to grab on to, she will do it. She LOVES to practice her walking.<br /><br />She definitely knows what "milk" means, both sign and word, but I'm not sure if she understands that she can request it herself. When we say it to her, she just starts smiling and laughing in a sort of "haha yes pleasegiveittomeNOW" manner. I think she understands what "dirty diaper" and "get down and play" means. Either that or she just smiles whenever we make hand motions at her. <br /><br />I think we trained her a bit too well on not taking anything but a real nipple in her mouth. She still isn't eating much solids, but we are planning to give her a few items every time we sit down to eat. She is not really too enthused and is probably thinking "Why eat this when I can just have milk whenever I want...?" She is definitely not losing any calories though, as she is about 20 pounds now, which is very near where her cousin is, who is 8 months older than her. <br /><br />She has been vocal for a bit now, but only recently has actually started making some consonant noises, as you see later in the video. Sometime last week she actually did say "abba" (Korean for "dad") as clear as we say it, but we don't think she actually knew what it meant. She tries to say "mmaa" but apparently those brain connections have not quite been made yet, poor dear. <br /><br />With the advancement in physical milestones yet being slightly behind in verbal, you'd think she was a boy or something ;) But no, she is my little girl (I know, I change a lot of diapers) and I loves her forever :DJunkMalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02619673168896233941noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-85340268496476402342009-12-01T07:22:00.000-05:002009-12-01T07:23:19.128-05:00Another Bad Idea Masquerading as a Good OneI wrote a <a href="http://thou-and-thou-only.blogspot.com/2007/12/decembers-randomnimity.html">post in December 2007</a> about how while it might seem like a great idea to have both your relatives and your in-law extended family in town for Christmas, in actuality it's a bit more trouble than it's worth, due to the fact that there's limited time and everyone wants a piece of you. I think I can safely say that we have discovered another one of these bad ideas masquerading as a good one.<br /><br />And BTW, we have been away for the past week, which is why this blog has been sadly neglected. If I were a good blogger, I would've queued up some scheduled posts so you would have no idea we were not here. Being away (I will not really call it "vacation.") for the past week leads right into this bad idea:<br /><br />I took the entire Thanksgiving week off and we visited both of Pearl's great-grandmothers. One of them is getting much more feeble than she used to be (who can blame a near 90 year old woman for that?) and the other had not yet met Pearl. The initial thought was that in taking the whole week off, the 1000 mile round trip would be a bit more relaxing than the driving-every-other-day-marathon-vacation-which-is-actually-not-much-of-a-vacation Thanksgiving trips that Harmony's parents usually take. <br /><br />One of the things we learned on this trip was that grandmothers will not listen when you say "you really don't need to do much work for us, we'll handle things while we're there." Maybe it's best not to ever visit them, so they won't tire themselves out preparing food for us ;)<br /><br />Right, so now I explain why it's a bad idea to take an extended Thanksgiving break. Grandmothers, stuck in the ways of being woefully good hostesses, will stock up on all sorts of bad snacks and dessert foods. They will insist that you get a good dessert after each lunch and dinner. The longer you are there, the more desserts you will consume. This is why I am 4 pounds heavier than I ought to be :p<br /><br />Another thing that made the trip a bit difficult for us was because one of the grandmothers almost constantly second guessing and/or worrying about our parenting style and decisions. (This particular grandmother's favorite hobby must be worrying.) Don't tell her that we co-sleep EVERY SINGLE NIGHT, and no, aside from the first day or two at the hospital, she has NEVER SLEPT IN A CRIB/BASSINET before. Statistics and facts do not matter to this grandmother when she makes up her mind about something. Other things that she expressed worry about: speaking Korean to Pearl, not enough solids, not sleeping in a crib, sleeping in a crib (we do have drop-side that my parents got from a neighbor, but we have never used it aside from a place-to-put-stuff), a midwife birth, home birth, holding the baby too much, etc. etc. etc ad infinitum/nauseum. Although there were a couple of instances where I could've stated that we are going to homeschool, I chose to bite my tongue for the moment. There is a 99.9% probability that she will be against that. There will not be much debate there, if it ever comes up. Out of all the "alternative" paths we are taking, homeschooling is one for which we feel most strongly.<br /><br />So you can imagine that constantly having to keep my guard up on what we say (in order to keep grandmother blissfully unaware) or constantly feeling like we need to defend our parenting leads to one VERY mentally tiring visit. For the most part, we enjoyed the time we spent there, but going from worrying-as-a-favorite-activity grandmother to the more it's-your-parental-decision grandmother was like a gigantic breath of fresh air after spending too much time in an enclosed small room full of sweaty people who have just had a big meal of spicy chili with lots of beans. <br /><br />So to grandparents and other family members who might read this: we know you probably would not parent exactly the way you do and even might not really like some of the things we are doing, but we are so so so so so so so so so so so so soooo grateful that you let us be the parents and do not constantly second guess us by expressing worry and whatnot.JunkMalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02619673168896233941noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-7888090549877814622009-10-20T12:22:00.002-04:002009-10-22T08:53:11.216-04:00Sick MamaI have to marvel at how well God protects little babies from illness. Here I am, sick as a dog (no offense intended to Luna ;-), having certainly spent the last week sharing every germ I have with Pearl, and she only has a little cough!<br /><br />On a side note, it isn't helping me recover faster when a certain baby wants to eat every two hours overnight. I wonder if this was because my supply has dropped due to being sick, or if it was due to all my loud coughing and blowing of my nose? Or perhaps it's just how mildly sick babies eat? Whatever the reason, she actually did eat all 7 of those times last night.<br /><br />Also, I'd just like to say that ginger tea is amazing. That is all.Harmonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15105846442509828835noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-84967963736116593412009-09-24T14:48:00.004-04:002009-09-24T15:04:02.588-04:00Tips for getting housework doneI need help. Pearl never was very good at sleeping by herself, but now she refuses to even sleep in the swing. Naps must be done while in someone's arms, and woe betide anyone who dares move her while she is sleeping. The nap will then end within 5 minutes, regardless of how long you wait before setting her as-gently-as-possible down. She has also decided that there are only two options for what to do when she is awake: nurse her or give her 100% of my attention by talking to her, playing games with her, or singing to her. Anything where I'm not looking her directly in the eyes is cause for crying. And my Moby wrap is hit or miss - although usually miss these days. The laundry and cooking are accomplished with a screaming baby in the background, only because I know these <span style="font-style: italic;">have</span> to be done.<br /><br />I didn't mind so much for the first 3 months bacause I figured the first 3 months are crazy anyway. And for a while it seemed that things were going to get better - she did take one nap in her bassinet. But she has regressed, and I'm not willing to let this state of affairs become the new normal. So does anyone have any strokes of brilliance for how I'm going to get the house back in order?<br /><br />(I have had two wonderful people offer to come hold Pearl while I clean house, and that's definitely an option... but it's not a long-term solution, is it?)Harmonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15105846442509828835noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-87000896832664677212009-08-15T09:51:00.005-04:002009-08-15T10:03:45.663-04:00A very late thank-you<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidWsefjzoPiYg2BkISSE-IGgIQsWFEUx6pZRe4jwrdUY91NaASDHwNoR3CnLDm8QuO5XOtAS3xxkagFMNFcrpg78ewsTNQRIcn84wFPcLkR8YKgE89YGLL1VybZB958UMp_iq-1A/s1600-h/IMGP0317_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidWsefjzoPiYg2BkISSE-IGgIQsWFEUx6pZRe4jwrdUY91NaASDHwNoR3CnLDm8QuO5XOtAS3xxkagFMNFcrpg78ewsTNQRIcn84wFPcLkR8YKgE89YGLL1VybZB958UMp_iq-1A/s320/IMGP0317_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370188017355159442" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.smockityfrocks.com/">Connie</a> sent us that adorable bonnet, which suits our Pearl so well. :-) Thank you, Connie! You do such beautiful smocking! I can't fully explain how grateful we are that you - who have never met us and only know us through blogging - took time out of your busy life to make a hand-made bonnet for our baby. Someday we hope to reciprocate, although neither of us are nearly so talented as you are!<br /><br />(The dress she is wearing in the picture was my grandfather's. He was born in 1916 - when boys and girls both wore dresses as babies - so that makes it 93 years old. I need to learn how to properly store century-old clothing, and soon.)<br /><br />(The picture was taken by me, which explains why it is blurry.)Harmonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15105846442509828835noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-43381493979709302052009-05-27T10:59:00.001-04:002009-05-27T11:00:19.388-04:00Getting Things Done!I have found that my wife works best when she has lists of specific things to do. So earlier in the month, we made a list of things to do before Pearl's born. They included the following items, which are actually being done by both of us, not just my 38-weeks-pregnant wife:<br /><br /><ul><li>clean conservatory (almost done)</li><br /><li>clean fridge (effectively done, all of the really gross stuff is out)</li><br /><li>inventory freezer (done)</li><br /><li>tackle piles (done)</li><br /><li>catch up on laundry (doing)</li><br /><li>dishes (doing)</li><br /><li>find places for baby stuff (effectively done)</li><br /><li>return returnable items (not done)</li><br /><li>buy remaining diapering needs (cloth, that is. Will be taken care of by either us or my parents)</li><br /><li>find crisis pregnancy center (done, donated a bunch of stuff-that-we-didn't-need-but-didn't-come-with-a-receipt :P)</li><br /><li>steam clean carpet (done)</li><br /><li>get food for Luna (we're switching her off the raw diet until we are confident she is trained not to lick Pearl's face)</li><br /><li>clean bathroom (doing)</li><br /><li>get guest bedroom ready (almost done)</li><br /><li>general house cleaning and de-clutter (doing)</li><br /><li>finish writing thank-you notes (partially done)</li><br /><li>Sow fall seeds (hopefully by this weekend)</li><br /></ul><br />That's just the stuff that was on the list that we made earlier. We have yet to install the car seat. We ought to make some key copies too, in case my parents get here and we aren't home yet.<br /><br />Yesterday, we made an early labor grocery list. The list consists of foodstuffs that we will be taking to the hospital with us. These include things like soy milk yogurt smoothies (for her, for the probiotics), yogurt, pitas (and hummus if we don't have any), vitamin water (for her), Powerade (for me), eggs for hard boiling, maybe some shelled pistachios (for her, for protein+energy), and some other stuff which I might be forgetting.JunkMalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02619673168896233941noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-26382261215780641442009-05-19T10:44:00.000-04:002009-05-19T13:12:46.010-04:00Getting to Know UsRecently, for one of his classes, JunkMale had to take the Myers Briggs Type Indicator test and I took it with him for fun. In the past, JM's scores had come out nearly even on all the four different measures (Introvert/Extrovert, iNtuitive/Sensing, Thinking/Feeling, Judging/Perceiving) and so it was hard to nail down a particular type for him. This time, however, his scores - while still fairly even - were a bit more defined. He came out ESTJ. After reading about that type, I think it suits him very well. Here are some highlights that are particularly true about him:<br /><ul><li>They honor traditions and laws, and have a clear set of standards and beliefs. They expect the same of others, and have no patience or understanding of individuals who do not value these systems. They value competence and efficiency, and like to see quick results for their efforts</li><li>They can sometimes be very demanding and critical, because they have such strongly held beliefs, and are likely to express themselves without reserve if they feel someone isn't meeting their standards. But at least their expressions can be taken at face-falue, because the ESTJ is extremely straight-forward and honest.</li><li>He or she takes their commitments seriously, and follows their own standards of "good citizenship" to the letter. ESTJ enjoys interacting with people, and likes to have fun. ESTJs can be very boisterous and fun at social events, especially activities which are focused on the family, community, or work.</li><li>Although normally the ESTJ is very verbal and doesn't have any problem expressing themself, when under stress they have a hard time putting their feelings into words and communicaing them to others.</li><li>The ESTJ puts forth a lot of effort in almost everything that they do. They will do everything that they think should be done in their job, marriage, and community with a good amount of energy. He is conscientious, practical, realistic, and dependable.<br /></li></ul>Those of you that know him well, what do you think?<span style="font-size:130%;color:#0000a0;"></span> Is that a good description of JunkMale?<br /><br />As for me, I am still very much INFP, although my F and P scores have dropped slightly over the years (I attribute that to being married to a man who is very different from me). Here are some highlights from the description of INFPs that I think hold true for me:<br /><ul><li>INFPs do not like conflict, and go to great lengths to avoid it. If they must face it, they will always approach it from the perspective of their feelings. In conflict situations, INFPs place little importance on who is right and who is wrong. They focus on the way that the conflict makes them feel, and indeed don't really care whether or not they're right. They don't want to feel badly. This trait sometimes makes them appear irrational and illogical in conflict situations. On the other hand, INFPs make very good mediators, and are typically good at solving other people's conflicts, because they intuitively understand people's perspectives and feelings, and genuinely want to help them.</li><li>When it comes to the mundane details of life maintenance, INFPs are typically completely unaware of such things. They might go for long periods without noticing a stain on the carpet [oops], but carefully and meticulously brush a speck of dust off of their project booklet.</li><li>Under stress, it's not uncommon for INFPs to mis-use hard logic in the heat of anger, throwing out fact after (often inaccurate) fact in an emotional outburst.</li><li>INFPs are flexible and laid-back, until one of their values is violated. In the face of their value system being threatened, INFPs can become aggressive defenders, fighting passionately for their cause. When an INFP has adopted a project or job which they're interested in, it usually becomes a "cause" for them. Although they are not detail-oriented individuals, they will cover every possible detail with determination and vigor when working for their "cause".<br /></li></ul><span style="font-size:130%;color:#0000a0;"></span>So from those of you who know me very well, how well does that describe me?<br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#0000a0;"></span>Harmonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15105846442509828835noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-85569479948978696972009-05-05T07:15:00.000-04:002009-05-05T07:15:00.684-04:00Star Wars Conversations Over Lunch<img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 174px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/Sf-OEu_Q_bI/AAAAAAAABLg/2Ss_V_mpGKI/s200/lego_at_at.jpg" alt="boingboing.net - How cool is this???" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332136695813963186" border="0" />On Sunday, after learning some celebratory news from some church friends, we received an impromptu invitation to lunch afterwards. Quite impromptu, considering we received the invitation while driving alongside one another at about 35 miles an hour with the windows down. Anyways, these friends are the <a href="http://thou-and-thou-only.blogspot.com/2007/03/we-found-one.html">homeschooling friends we mentioned in this previous post</a>. (we have since learned of a couple of other homeschooling families) Apparently their 3 children are fans of mine, as I am of them, seeing as we are often spotted playing together after church.<br /><br />Their children had been asking me Star Wars questions after church. They are much more intelligently inquisitive about SW than I ever was as at that age. (consequently, I foresee that they will be much more intelligent than I was at the corresponding age) The discussion continued at lunch. Their father (who I can imagine would've fit the typical Georgia Tech techie mold quite well, and still does, I shall call him Father Techie) and I fielded the questions as best as we could. Here are some of the things we discussed:<br /><br />Question from 7 year old Daughter K: What did Leia do? As in, what was her role in the Rebellion? Goodness child, when I was your age, she was just Princess Leia. She didn't need to <span style="font-style: italic;">do</span> anything. She just was. But nay, this maiden is very smart, precocious, and inquisitive. She wants to know what Leia did. We told her that Leia was a politician and a princess, so she had the big name recognition. She was diplomatic and good at gaining people's trust. She was good at bypassing typical bureaucratic regulations and getting things done quickly.<br /><br />Say you are the owner of a repair shop for old Y-wing starfighters. If some random person comes to you and says he really needs spare parts for a Y-wing, you would be wary. After all, this could be an Imperial spy trying to out you. Then again, if Princess Leia came to you and asked for spare parts, you would be more willing to trust her. I think eventually she came to understand Princess Leia's role in the Rebellion.<br /><br />Question from Father Techie: Why did the Empire even bother with big cumbersome AT-ATs? (those are the big four legged walkers that were in Episode V, on the snowy planet) After all, they can be taken out very easily by one person with a grenade, or one little speeder with a tow cable. I told him that AT-ATs were probably a pork barrel project of sorts. Some influential senator or two probably had production or manufacturing facilities in his district and fought tooth and nail to keep the big cumbersome inefficient AT-ATs from being stricken from that year's "defense" budget.<br /><br />More question from kids: How old was Luke when he first fought Darth Vader? I believe Luke was 18 when he blew up the first Death Star. Technically you could say that that was their first encounter, since Vader tried to shoot Luke down. This did not suffice for Daughter K. She wanted to know how old he was when they first met, face to face. (I should have asked her why she wanted to know). Father Techie and I tried to recall how many years had passed between Episodes 4 and 5. We surmised it probably wasn't more than 3, so the answer was that he was no older than 21 when he first fought Darth Vader face to face.<br /><br />Daughter K thought it was very important to learn as much as she could about Leia. Most of her questions concerned Princess Leia and her doings... I suspect it's because of the Princess title. We talked about why she was on the Death Star (Empire found out she was working for the Rebellion) what was happening to Leia on the Death Star (torture), why it was happening (the location of the secret Rebel base), why the Rebels had to have a secret base, which necessitated an explanation of the concept of guerrilla warfare. So you see, one thing leads to another and conversations about Star Wars turn out educational sometimes. One day when Daughter K and Strapping Lad B are studying history and learning about insurgencies and asymmetric warfare (WW II resistance movements, Iraq, Afghanistan, every.single.Latin.American.country's.history, etc.), they will fondly recall lunchtime discussions with JunkMale, over burritoes and Mexican rice.JunkMalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02619673168896233941noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-38816615464240256632009-03-21T07:00:00.000-04:002009-03-21T07:00:07.338-04:00We're Teaching Sunday SchoolThis quarter, Harmony and I are teaching the kindergarten / 1st grade Sunday school class. Although usually by the second or third week I am not nerve-wracked, I don't think I ever got nerve-wracked to begin with, because I had my wife to help me.<br /><br />I don't even know what we're <i>supposed</i> to be teaching. I learned my lesson from the last time I taught, and I remember telling myself that the next time I teach Sunday school, I am going to make up my own curriculum.<br /><br /><aside><br />I saw a coloring sheet of what the Wednesday class had learned about. It was a cartoony drawing of a boy, Jesus, and fish. Verbage on the page said something about "A boy shares with Jesus." That annoys me a bit. The purpose of the feeding of 4/5000 story is not that a boy shared his stuff. The purpose is to illustrate the miracle. Sharing is a good thing in most cases, and parents should teach their children...but Sunday school is a time to learn about God and His Word and what it contains. This is the main reason why I do not even have a copy of the curriculum materials. I do not wish to take the Bible and turn it into Mr. Rogers or Sesame Street.<br /></aside><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/ScIlTYh3UQI/AAAAAAAABHg/sluzLIRSohU/s1600-h/judges_icon.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 120px; height: 64px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/ScIlTYh3UQI/AAAAAAAABHg/sluzLIRSohU/s200/judges_icon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314851525182836994" /></a><br />This quarter, our main topic is Judges. This is apparently somewhat of an unorthodox topic for young children, but these scholars can handle it. It does get a bit verbose and complicated at times, but they will still understand the main points. The class is small and mostly girls (3 girls 1 boy is the usual line up). There is only one boy who is a regular in this class (but he hasn't been there 2 of 3 Sundays that we've taught). That's too bad, because I think boys would like all the battles and violence and stuff. Regardless, they are all smart and come from good families. One of the girls appears to have some sort of audio recording capability in her head, as she is able to repeat every single detail (however minute) of every lesson that we teach. (her parents read this blog and probably know who they are) One of the other girls seems to be still half-asleep during class, but still understands the material.<br /><br />Part of the reason I picked Judges is because 1) I was not entirely too familiar with the period, 2) it's not a usual Sunday school topic, and 3) owing to #2, they probably hadn't ever learned it before. Teaching something is a great way to motivate yourself to learn the material.<br /><br />We are glossing over the judges who only have a couple of verses written about them, such as Othniel, Shamgar, Tola, etc. Most of our time will be spent learning about the ones who have significant details recorded about them. <br /><br />Our sequence will go as follows: Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Gideon, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson, Samson, Eli/Hannah (Hannah not a judge, I know), Samuel. There might be a lesson in there on Abimelech, and either Eli or Samuel might have an extra lesson. So far we have learned about Ehud, Deborah, and Gideon's destruction of his father's idols. I will post more about the lessons we have already done, and after that I will tentatively post each week on the lesson/craft and how it went. I have not received picture posting permission from all of the parents, so you might see a bunch of blacked out faces.JunkMalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02619673168896233941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-74752352186191502072009-03-18T14:09:00.002-04:002009-03-18T14:09:05.669-04:00Mysterious StainsOur laundry has been inflicted with some mysterious stains that simply will not come out, except perhaps by prayer and fasting. I have tried soaking in oxy-clean, pre-treating with detergent, using homemade detergent, and rubbing alcohol, all to no avail. The stains don't even look like they've budged. Even more mysteriously, out of a very large load of dark clothes, only three items appear to have picked up the stain. Unfortunately two of the items stained are borrowed maternity clothes. The other is a pair of JM's pants, as if he doesn't already have a shortage of them.<br /><br />The stain looks like a black ink stain, although I have no idea how that would have gotten into our wash. I check pockets for pens, and I haven't ever found a pen in the washer or dryer after running a load. JunkMale has done a few loads for me of late, but he never mentioned anything of the sort to me, either.<br /><br />Any suggestions?Harmonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15105846442509828835noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-43126542709641067842009-03-11T14:32:00.003-04:002009-03-11T15:21:15.247-04:00I have WHAT???I got a call from the midwife office yesterday saying I had failed my 1-hour gestational diabetes test - I had high blood glucose. <br /><br />First of all, I do not fail tests. Not unless the rest of the class does too, and in those cases there is generally a substantial curve. Secondly, ever since I was 12 years old and I started getting migraine headaches when I ate sweet foods for breakfast, I have lived under the impression that I have had <span style="font-style: italic;">low</span> blood sugar. I have had blood tests that showed that I have elevated levels of insulin after eating a meal, and in my last year of college I was specifically told by an endocrinologist that there was "zero" chance that I had pre-diabetes. Of course, he only saw me for five minutes and refused to do any testing, so he was probably basing that assessment 100% on my body type. He also said I was imagining my symptoms. Hmph.<br /><br />So the next step in this process was supposed to be the 3-hour glucose tolerance test. That's when they make you go 3 days eating at least 150g of carbohydrates a day (which is almost certainly way more than I eat on a typical day - JunkMale will tell you that when there are sweets around the house, <span style="font-style: italic;">he</span> is the one who wants to eat them, not me; I would rather eat salty and fattening foods). Then you fast overnight, go into the doctor's office, and <span style="font-style: italic;">on an empty stomach</span> drink 100g of straight glucose water in 5 minutes. They take your blood, send you out to the waiting room, and starve you for the next 3 hours, making sure to poke and prod you each hour to take another blood sample. As my dad said, "They do that to <span style="font-style: italic;">pregnant</span> women?"<br /><br />Yes they do, and since I have a history of migraines so bad I can't see when I don't eat protein and fat for breakfast, and since I still gag each morning before I get some protein or fat into my body (Noticing a pattern here? My body obviously prefers low-carb foods - not glucose drinks), this test does not seem like a nice thing to put me through. In fact, it seems downright dangerous to have me drive myself to and from this appointment. I mentioned as much to my care provider, letting her know in no uncertain terms that the next time JM could take me to do the 3-hour test (without taking time off of work) would be 4 weeks from now. In other words, we needed to start talking about other options - and I was <span style="font-style: italic;">more than happy</span> to work out some sort of compromise. ;-)<br /><br />So after playing phone tag with a midwife who was attending a birth, I finally got permission to keep a food journal, get a glucometer and start testing my blood sugar every day. She wants me to test 3 times a day for the first week or two to get an idea of how my blood sugar runs, and then if it's normal I'm free to test 2x a day until my next appointment.<br /><br />The pharmacist was really nice. She walked me through what I was supposed to do and picked out a meter she thought I would like. It's actually really cool. The meter stores all my results and can compare, for example, all of my before breakfast readings from the past 14 days. I can also record details with each reading: do I feel hypo? do I feel sick or off? am I on vacation or eating differently from usual? did I just exercise?<br /><br />Is it strange that I'm actually excited about this? After 14 years of dealing with blood sugar issues (be it high or low, it was always related to what I ate), I can finally figure out what's going on with my body! Do I feel like I have low blood sugar? I can check right then! Am I feeling super tired and foggy headed? I can see if that has any relation to my blood sugar.<br /><br />By the way, for the curious among our readership, I did my first test a little while ago - 2 hours after lunch: 79 mg/dL. Textbook hypoglycemia is when your blood sugar drops to 70 mg/dL. But my reading was low enough that my glucometer automatically prompted me to input a comment. Anything outside of the normal range (90 mg/dL to 130 mg/dL) automatically gets flagged for commentary. And for the really, really curious among you, you should know that my 1-hour glucose test result was 144 mg/dL. So after 1 hour it's too high and after 2 hours it's too low. In other words, my blood sugar is really messed up. I feel justified. ;-)Harmonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15105846442509828835noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-84774910826339091042009-03-10T13:31:00.003-04:002009-03-10T13:59:37.281-04:00Various and Sundry*Heard around the JunkHouse recently:<br />JM - Daffodils, tulips, what's the difference? They look just the same.<br />Me - [dumbfounded look on my face as I try to formulate a response to that]<br /><br />*Poor JunkMale is going to have to do the majority of our shopping for the next few weeks at least. :-( As I learned from my last few visits to the grocery store, anything more than a quick trip in to grab one or two items leaves me dizzy and fatigued for the rest of the day. Not only is that not fun for me (and perhaps not healthy either), it also means that I come home and completely crash in bed for the next few hours. In other words, next to no housework gets done. I'm lucky if I even get all the groceries get put away. But if I stay home and do all my work in little 5 or 10 minute spurts, I feel great and energized all day long.<br /><br />*I spent some time out in the garden today, sowing carrots, transplanting lettuce, and watering peas and tomato, pepper, and flower seedlings. It really is lovely to be outdoors. I wish I could get some good shots of our garden on the camera, but no matter how much I play with the settings, my pictures never turn out as good as JunkMale's. Something about sunlight and my photography skills don't mix. So until he has some time to take pictures, you'll have to be satisfied with the following shot, taken after I had just come inside, looked at myself in the mirror, and burst out laughing. I assure you that I had no idea I looked so festive. Apparently our peach tree is dropping blossoms:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9yhN8c4tuta8cZinzT5nlHNrKmKUdPLiFb9fp8F1LFE__pTMqKcZGcnH664claKeiSJIoGvFwPQH3r9pmizd8Az_e_3CoA4JQoTfmvna_a-WFGIfDoQeb27-H-iWkchtubL6vA/s1600-h/IMG_3836.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9yhN8c4tuta8cZinzT5nlHNrKmKUdPLiFb9fp8F1LFE__pTMqKcZGcnH664claKeiSJIoGvFwPQH3r9pmizd8Az_e_3CoA4JQoTfmvna_a-WFGIfDoQeb27-H-iWkchtubL6vA/s320/IMG_3836.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311615119867624578" border="0" /></a><br />Pretty, no?<br /><br />*I finally made some homemade laundry detergent! I've been meaning to do this for ages. I used a recipe I found online for powdered detergent (I have been so afraid to try making my own liquid, I think that's what caused me to put it off for as long as I did). I only made a tiny bit, just to try it out, and so far I can't really tell how it compares to the store-brand free and clear detergent I had been using. But I've only done one load, so there is still plenty of time to tell. I used the following recipe: 1 cup fels naptha soap, grated + 1/2 cup borax + 1/2 cup washing soda. But I didn't want to make too much, so I cut it down to 1 Tbs: 1/2 Tbs: 1/2 Tbs, which is just enough for two loads (1 Tbs should be enough for a front-loader like my machine). If this second load comes out well, I intend to make a full recipe. I used the fine side of my microplane grater, so the soap was in very tiny shreds that dissolve easily. The only concern I have is that fels naptha soap is perfumed, and we had been avoiding any additives in our detergent. Well, that and the fact that borax is poisonous, but I've discovered that you're going to find nasty stuff in just about any detergent you use.Harmonyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15105846442509828835noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-80925850512379766762009-02-25T06:54:00.005-05:002009-02-25T07:17:48.515-05:00Ho hum updateWe're still alive and life is fine.<br /><br /><b><u>Academics</u></b><br />My first class towards my systems engineering degree is (for me) finished. The class actually ends on March 2, but I have already finished my final exam, which I am fairly confident I will get at least a 90 on. My homework average is 100+ and I got a 90 on the other exam, so I am also confident that I will get an A in the course. I have a week off from classes and then start the next one on March 10. The class is called "Creativity and Problem Solving." The text book is titled "Adaption-Innovation: In the Context of Change and Diversity." Umm....yeah...riiight...maybe it won't be that bad. Seems like it will definitely be a more touchy-feely "let's talk about our feelings" kind of class. I tend to do much better with more tangible concrete subjects, like this engineering math class that I just took.<br /><br /><b><u>Garden</u></b><br />Harmony has started various seedlings for the garden. We have also sown peas in the newly made third raised bed. Our potatoes, strawberries, and blueberries shipped out yesterday and should be here soon! Perhaps we will also have an update soon. But I left the camera at the in-laws', so they'll either be picture-less updates, or hideous quality cell phone camera pics.<br /><br /><b><u>Luna and meats</u></b><br />We have made efforts to get some different types of meats into Luna, so these days she is enjoying lamb and duck. Duck sinews or ligaments or whatever are tougher than those of chickens, so she has more trouble with duck pieces - she usually ends up regurgitating large chunks at least once. Thus I give her duck in the evenings so I can supervise her.<br /><br /><b><u>Pregnancy</u></b><br />25 weeks as of Sunday and things are still looking good. Almost to the third trimester! The Lord is gracious. We are limiting the amount of time Harmony spends standing though, as she starts to get woozy and light-headed if she stands too long. (but walks are still fine, for some reason) We're trying to minimize risk as much as we can (wouldn't you, if you had had losses?).<br /><br /><b><u>Childbirth class</u></b><br />This Sunday is the final session of our childbirth class, given by Pam of <a href="http://www.alaboroflove.org/">Labor of Love Doula and Childbirth Services</a>. It has been a 6 week course and we have learned lots. I think it's a more holistic class than a Lamaze or Bradley method class would have been, but don't take my word on that, because we haven't and aren't planning to take those classes. We enjoyed the classes, but are glad that they will be over. They were on Sunday afternoons and that meant leaving Luna for about 3.5 hours in the morning for church, then about 4 hours later in the evening for class. This Sunday, we have a potluck after church.. 0_o So tonight we are going to ask around and see if anyone can keep her this Sunday, so at least she'll have some people to be around.JunkMalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02619673168896233941noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-4589722266454083712009-01-17T08:46:00.000-05:002009-02-02T08:41:24.086-05:00Random Information about Our Little AlienFor any who didn't read the comments in our <a href="http://thou-and-thou-only.blogspot.com/2009/01/blog-post.html" target="n1">big revelation post</a>, we are fairly certain that the baby is a girl. Buy girl stuff but keep the receipts, the ultrasound technician said. She is due around June 8. We have named her quite an appropriate name (considering I have wanted a daughter since before we were married), but Harmony wishes to use pseudonyms for the kiddies. We will have to come up with one soon (any suggestions?).<br /><br />We hit 20 weeks tomorrow! (Sunday) Praise the Lord, the Lord is good. He has given us the desire of our hearts, and He has given what we never would deserve in a million years, for we are wretchedly bad people.<br /><br />Harmony doesn't look very pregnant if she's wearing a coat. In fact, she has gained less than 5 pounds. The midwife said that this is not much of a concern unless she starts dropping weight like toddlers like to drop Cheerios around Luna.<br /><br />Here are some more ultrasounds. I have adjusted the contrast so you can see better:<br /><br />Hand. Where went the rest of the body, I don't know.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/SXHfDVBWNmI/AAAAAAAABDM/idIHuFAqzK8/s1600-h/baby4_hand_fixed.jpg" target="n2"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 206px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/SXHfDVBWNmI/AAAAAAAABDM/idIHuFAqzK8/s400/baby4_hand_fixed.jpg" border="0" alt="Baby's hand"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292256285412439650" /></a><br /><br />Can you see what she's doing here? Her head is tilted to your left, and her left arm is under her chin. Sort of like the picture below her, except with the other hand.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/SXHfVakI38I/AAAAAAAABDc/yLNqVxtL4QM/s1600-h/baby_pose_fixed.jpg" target="n3"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 353px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/SXHfVakI38I/AAAAAAAABDc/yLNqVxtL4QM/s400/baby_pose_fixed.jpg" border="0" alt="Baby's chin pose"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292256596138188738" /></a><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;width: 66px; height: 100px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_avUUQxpy30o/SXHeRY3KchI/AAAAAAAABDE/L0BS_N_Fqc4/s400/stock_image_chin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292255427450008082" /><br /><br />(pictures of her face have a bit of a macabre quality, don't you think?)JunkMalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02619673168896233941noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-63925211802464711812009-01-06T15:10:00.003-05:002009-02-02T08:41:53.805-05:00Obligatory Year-in-Review PostSee obligatory posts for past years:<br /><a href="http://thou-and-thou-only.blogspot.com/2008/01/obligatory-new-year-post.html">2008</a><br /><a href="http://thou-and-thou-only.blogspot.com/2007/01/real-life-begins.html">2007</a><br /><br />Fortunately for us, we entered 2008 with low expectations. Unfortunately for us, 2008 met those low expectations quite a few times.<br /><br />Although we thankfully did not suffer any miscarriages like in 2007, 2008 was still a year filled with frustrations and bitterness. This is not to say that we lived the entirety of 2008 wearing black clothes and screaming and wanting to kill ourselves like people who listen to emo, but the year had more than its fair share of negatives. As of October, it was looking like 2008 would be another overall downer year...until we were (<i>quite</i> surprisingly) greeted with The Two Lines.<br /><br />We were very apprehensive in the weeks to follow, but each successive doctor's appointment and/or ultrasound (she has had quite a few of both) brought promising news. I don't think either of us will feel that the baby's completely safe until she...well...um...ever?<br /><br />That's right, "she." Yesterday the ultrasound technician pointed out that the baby was probably a girl. Probably, but not 100% certain. So don't go crazy with all the girl stuff yet. My mom was very excited at the news and has already stated that she wants to buy all new stuff for the baby and that if we need anything at all, that she will buy it for us. Huzzah for Korean generosity ;)<br /><br />This pregnancy is the reason why you have not heard much else about our efforts to become foster parents. (It's also the reason we had a blogging drought for the last quarter of 2008) I think almost everyone would agree that right now is probably not the best time to go into that sort of thing. We are still open to the idea in the future though; we have submitted all our paper work and references and still intend to become certified. Just not accepting any foster children in the near future though. <br /><br />What started as a year-in-review post has turned mostly into updates on the pregnancy. That's fine by me, as this thus-far healthy pregnancy was our most significant event in 2008.JunkMalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02619673168896233941noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-38761999622038869602009-01-05T13:00:00.002-05:002009-02-02T08:41:24.088-05:00(untitled)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiil1zzsMydIiX0Tp8_unnRVucVTAZ9_USqOFt4fNppU8skWl3T_Nk27ImkhyphenhyphenJI5Bn7mlTw17GMnMf0xNDnmrXxBC1RStBmf076UxqLzDQJo8zW0mQmKxWAcWyC6ADuSbv-tySfWA/s1600-h/baby.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiil1zzsMydIiX0Tp8_unnRVucVTAZ9_USqOFt4fNppU8skWl3T_Nk27ImkhyphenhyphenJI5Bn7mlTw17GMnMf0xNDnmrXxBC1RStBmf076UxqLzDQJo8zW0mQmKxWAcWyC6ADuSbv-tySfWA/s400/baby.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287882604660698962" /></a>JunkMalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02619673168896233941noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37491865.post-19645797384361263682008-12-20T07:04:00.003-05:002008-12-20T07:12:37.497-05:00BTW...we're in Florida visiting my parents. This would explain the recent lack of posts. We're not doing too much down here except relaxing. Every now and then, the air conditioning automatically turns on. Some of you may be envious of that, and some of you will think that's just plain strange.<br /><br />I sort of convinced my parents to subscribe to cable for the time that we're down here. I say "sort of" because it didn't really take much convincing. Installation was free, there is no contract, there's no cancellation fee, and there's much college football to be watched on the various ESPN channels starting today.<br /><br />Aside from cable, I am also enjoying the home theater system that I set up for my parents a couple of years ago. It's nice to be able to come to Florida and watch my choice favorite action scenes in discrete optical full 5.1 channel surround sound :D<br /><br />Luna is being fed <i>quite</i> well here. Consequently, we are making efforts to go on walks every day.JunkMalehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02619673168896233941noreply@blogger.com1