Mommy Brain

Concord Hymn
~Sung at the completion of the Battle Monument, July 4, 1837~

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world.

The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set to-day a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.

Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1837~

Happy July, everyone! Can you believe that June is over? It went very, very fast - mostly because we were so incredibly busy.

Any plans for Independence Day? We’re heading to Mom and Dad’s for the day. Dad’s got some leftover pre-cut catamarans from camp, so the kids are going to make cool wooden sailboats, and then we’re going to head to Chewelah park to float them in the creek. We’ll have chicken and potato salad for dinner, and then celebrate my sister Marni’s birthday. Her 29th - my baby sister is turning 29! How did that happen?

We’ll spend Saturday with them, too, celebrating Dad’s 60th birthday. Then Marni and Hans and the boys will spend Sunday and Monday saying their goodbyes to Hans’ parents. Tuesday morning, we will say our goodbyes. Sniff. They will be leaving for St. Louis at the end of the month, but with gas prices the way they are, Marni needing to get their apartment packed up, Natalie’s Bible camp in the middle of the month, and us leaving on the 27th for our trip to the Oregon Coast, we won’t be able to see them before then.

Well, I refuse to think about that until I have to. Here are some links for your Independence Day weekend:

~ If you love words as much as I do, you’ll love Visuwords. Type in any word, and watch what it does with it!

~ Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin’? is giving away up to five prize packages - each one containing 14 books!

~ There’s another book giveaway at The Tome Traveller.

~ Quantum of Solace, the next Bond movie starring (the yummy) Daniel Craig, opens on my birthday, November 7th - here’s the trailer.

~ Joss Whedon, of Firefly and Serenity brilliance, is presenting Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along blog, a 42-minute web-musical that will be presented in three 14 minute episodes. It stars Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion, from Firefly. Part one will go live on July 15th, part two on the 17th, and part three on the 19th. It will remain online until midnight the 20th, with a probable DVD release after that, but while it’s online, it’s free.

~ Didn’t this already happen in an animated children’s film?

~ Anyone else looking forward to Mamma Mia? Here’s the trailer.

~ Feeling apathetic about the upcoming presidential election? The Onion has created a video to help those who couldn’t care less. It’s satire, of course - don’t want to get any comments reminding me how important it is to do my civic duty.

~ Author Dennis Cass presents Book Launch 2.0.

~ Why does everyone hate homeschooling moms?

Methinks American middle-class people are uncomfortable around the home schooled for the same reason the alcoholic is uneasy around the teetotaler.

Their very existence represents a rejection of our values, and an indictment of our lifestyles. Those families are willing to render unto Caesar the things that Caesar’s be, but they draw the line at their children. Those of us who have put our trust in the secular state (and effectively surrendered our children to it) recognize this act of defiance as a rejection of our values, and we reject them in return. (emphasis mine)

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

~ An Incomplete Education

~ Squids Will Be Squids: Fresh Morals, Beastly Fables

~ The Bucket List

~ Kung Fu Panda

Kevin posted a bunch more recent family photos at our family web page (which is supposed to be doubling as his blog, but he doesn’t post very often). Here’s one of our Josiah (age 6, on the right) and our nephew, Peter (also age 6):

Here’s a pic of Kevin and the kids on a bike trip last summer.

You have probably noticed how much I love the Twilight series of vampire novels by Stephenie Meyer. They each scored a solid 4 stars out of 5. They are totally engrossing and addictive, and I can’t wait for the fourth and final book to be released on August 2nd. That said, none of them had that indefiinable quality that earns a book 5 stars in my mind. The Host, Meyer’s first foray into the world of adult novels, has that quality, and has it in spades.

Ms. Meyer calls The Host science-fiction for people who don’t like science fiction. Well, I love sci-fi, and I adored this book. But I know exactly what she means, because I am going to pass this book on to my mom, who doesn’t like sci-fi - and I know she will love it.

The Host is the story of Wanderer, a soul who has lived on seven different planets, in seven different host bodies. When she comes to Earth and is implanted into Melanie, she experiences something new and different - the host consciousness doesn’t leave, but continues to fight for ownership of her body.

Wanderer begins to learn more and more about Melanie through her memories, and especially comes to know Jared, Melanie’s boyfriend, and Jamie, her younger brother. As Wanderer experiences Melanie’s feelings for the people she loves, she is torn between her loyalty to her own race - the Souls - and her new-found feelings of love and family.

The Host asks the question: What does it mean to be human? It explores the bounds of love and loyalty and self-sacrifice, and examines what is best and worst about the human race. It’s a love story in the best possible way.

5 out of 5 stars.

Noah has started and stopped many books this month, but none has kept his attention enough for him to finish.

Mole and Shrew Step Out by Jackie French Koller
Giant Pop-Out Vehicles

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
The Ballad of Lucy Whipple by Karen Cushman
Ghosthunters and the Totally Moldy Baroness by Cornelia Funke
Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 2) by Stephenie Meyer

Eric Liddell: Something Greater Than Gold by Geoff and Janet Benge
Magyk (Septimus Heap, Book 1) by Angie Sage
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices From a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz
Crispin: Cross of Iron by Avi
Poetry Speaks to Children

Twister on Tuesday by Mary Pope Osborne
In the Whale (Andrew Lost #6) by J.C. Greenburg
Season of the Sandstorms by Mary Pope Osborne

99 degrees yesterday. 99 degrees today. Which made it a perfect weekend to spend one afternoon at the lake, and the other in an air-conditioned theater.

We headed up to the lake yesterday, bringing lunch and a van-load of floaties. Another family from our church was there, too, so Natalie was able to swim with a good friend, and we were able to get to know her parents a little better.

I’ve been having a hard time getting involved at our new church. Kevin’s not even attending much. I’ve posted before about our history with churches, and I don’t want to get into all of that again. I just wish we could find a church where politics and staying in a denominational bubble weren’t the norm.

Anyway, it was nice to get to know another couple from church. We’ve met some really nice people, and the children’s ministry has welcomed our children with open arms. I suppose that will have to be enough for right now.

Today, Mom and I took the kids to see Kung Fu Panda (my review). The kids loved it, and I enjoyed myself. And it was cool. What more can you ask for, right?

(The Sword in the Stone: 45th Anniversary Special Edition was provided to me by Click Communications for the purpose of review.)

Humor, spectacle, and magic rule in Walt Disney’s legendary classic tale The Sword in the Stone - now celebrating its 45th Anninversary with exciting new bonus features!

Embark on an adventure-filled quest for an unlikely hero! According to legend, only someone with honor, decency, and inner strength can claim the throne of England - by pulling out the enchanted sword that lies locked in a massive stone. Many brave knights have tried, so it seems impossible that a young apprentice known as Wart could succeed. But with the guidance of the wizard Merlin, help from some hilarious friends and true strength of character, Wart just might become England’s greatest king.

There’s even more wizardry fun with mavelous bonus features, including the all-new Merlin’s Magical Academy Game, animated shorts, Disney’s song selection and much more! The Sword in the Stone 45th Anniversary Edition DVD is a magical experience your whole family will want to share again and again!

Noah’s review: It’s about this little kid who thinks he’s just a little kid who has nothing special about him. Then he finds a wizard, and learns that he is special. He pulls a sword out of a stone and becomes king. 4 and a half stars out of 5.

Jonatha’s review: It was a great movie. It was also funny. Once, he swallowed a bug when he was a fish because the wizard turned him into one. 5 stars.

Josiah’s review: My favorite part was when he was a squirrel. 4 and a half stars.

It’s fun to watch old Disney films with my kids. The Sword in the Stone was one I hadn’t seen in years, but it is definitely a classic. This new 45th Anniversary Edition has all-new special features, including some movie shorts and Merlin’s Magic Academy Game. The Sword in the Stone: 45th Anniversary Edition is available on DVD now.

Okay, I’m blushing. Can I plead over-busy-ness due to a camping trip, birthday party, and two VBS’s? I completely forgot about the Gone giveaway.

Well, better late than never, right?

I used Random.org to generate two random numbers, and it came up with 1 and 2. So, congrats to Sheila and Lawanda. I already have your address, Lawanda, so watch the mail. Sheila, check your e-mail - I’ll be contacting you for mailing info.

Congratulations - and sorry, again.

Our week of endless VBS is almost at an end. I must admit that the free time in the mornings and evenings has been very nice, but I’m not sure it’s worth the over-tired and cranky-from-too-much-sugar kids. Next year will be different, since Natalie will have finished 6th grade, and therefore aged out of the VBS they’ve been attending for the past several years. I’ll have a daughter entering junior high next August - how did that happen?

Our weekend is looking to be much slower and quieter than our week, and that’s just fine with me. We need a quiet week to gear up for Independence Day weekend, when my sister and her family will be visiting, and we’ll be spending the bulk of our time at Mom and Dad’s. The following weekend we take Natalie to Bible camp. She comes home on Thursday the 17th, and on Saturday the 19th, the kids will participate in a Tae Kwon Do tournament. The following weekend, we leave on our trip. When we get back, it will be three weeks until school starts again. When I look at it like that, the summer’s almost over already!

From the news:

~ This is scary and ridiculous: a Canadian court rules that a father cannot discpline his daughter by grounding her from a school camping trip. The judge said that the punishment was excessive. The father was attempting to discipline his 12-year-old daughter for posting her information on an internet dating site and for fighting with her step-mother. The girl took her unhappiness with the situation to court - and won.

~ Owners of a family plantation in Maryland discovered a treasure trove of documents in their attic - dating from the 1660s through World War II.

~ Yellow Science at the Wall Street Journal:

Nevertheless, over the past several decades an increasing number of scientists have shed the restraints imposed by the scientific method and begun to proclaim the truth of man-made global warming. This is a hypothesis that remains untested, makes no predictions that can be tested in the near future, and cannot offer a numerical explanation for the limited evidence to which it clings.

Some great videos:

~ Electric strings group Scala appears on Britain’s Got Talent. These girls are amazing! Hat tip: Angela Hunt.

~ Where the H*ll is Matt? Hat tip: Chris Rice’s blog. Check out Matt’s web site, and his about page that explains how we had the opportunity to travel all over the world to make the video.

~ BBC Worldwide has its own YouTube page. Check out the QI clips - they are hilarious!

Movie stuff:

~ The movie version of Inkheart is coming in January - here’s the trailer. Looks like they made quite a few changes to the plot. I’ll reserve judgment until I actually see it. I guess.

~ Another book to movie: The Tale of Despereaux - coming in December. Here’s the trailer.

Education and learning:

~ Homeschoolers in college can sniff out the BS. Of course they can.

~ David McCullough’s commencement address at Boston College. Hat tip: Mental Multivitamin.

Read. Read, read! Read the classics of American literature that you’ve never opened. Read your country’s history. How can we profess to love our country and take no interest in its history? Read into the history of Greece and Rome. Read about the great turning points in the history of science and medicine and ideas.

Read for pleasure, to be sure. I adore a good thriller or a first-rate murder mystery. But take seriously –read closely –books that have stood the test of time. Study a masterpiece, take it apart, study its architecture, its vocabulary, its intent. Underline, make notes in the margins, and after a few years, go back and read it again.

Make use of the public libraries. Start your own personal library and see it grow. Talk about the books you’re reading. Ask others what they’re reading. You’ll learn a lot.

Win a book:

~ Head over to Puss Reboots for a chance to win Virus Games, the first in a new series geared toward 9 to 12 year olds.

At Books and Movies this week:

~ Review of Anansi Boys

~ Review of Maus

~ Great audiobooks

~ EW’s 100 New Classic Books

I guess that’s it - that’s enough, right? Oh, I also joined Facebook, so let me know if you’re there, too, so I can add you to my friends list.

…that all it takes is the taste of a cherry Jolly Rancher to make me feel 8 years old again?