The full title of this book is Radical Homemaker; Reclaiming Domesticity in a Consumer Culture. It is written by Shannon Hays who has a Ph.D. in Sustainable Agriculture from Cornell. Even while Hays was ambitiously pursuing higher education in order to fulfill the feminist call to economic independence in the corporate world, she was also growing up and living on a farm where neighbors helped each other out, grew their own food and were much more self-reliant than most of society; a society which has shed all the skills and know-how of being self-sustaining and has opted to buy more and more goods and services to make up for that loss of know how.
Hays uses Betty Freidan's The Feminine Mystique as a starting point. She lauds the feminist movement for freeing women from oppressive stereotypes but she rejects the model upon which they based their strategy. Hays traces the history of domesticity back to pre-historic times and then back up to the present era. The problem with feminism is that it requires women to exit the home in order to gain economic independence. The only thing is everyone still needs a home! Originally both men and women were workers at home. Men built the home, chopped firewood, butchered animals, tooled leather, etc. Women cooked, spun and knitted wool, sewed clothes, preserved food. And plenty of the jobs overlapped. The division of labor that left women in the home and forced men to go out to a workplace happened with the industrial revolution. This eventually led into a consumer economy where supposed economic health for a family came to mean two income earners to afford a house with a big mortgage, multiple cars, buying instead of growing and making food, buying clothes instead of making one's own, putting children in child care and schools instead of having them at home to learn and help.
Radical Homemakers have rejected the idea that consumerism should be the basis for our lives. Hays compares working for corporations with little to no job security, the expectation of working long hours, the long commutes, as a type of slavery, where the employee can't leave the job because they can't afford to; they are trapped there because of debt and the need for health insurance. The job actually generates more debt because of all the incidental expenses this lifestyle entails: child care, transportation, car insurance and repairs, convenience foods and health care (and a lot of health issues so rampant today like depression, diabetes, etc actually stem from the stressful corporate consumer lifestyle!).
Radical Homemakers have opted to drop out of this type of culture and reclaim the home. They have chosen to base their life decisions on four tenents, what builds up these four things: family, community, social justice and the environment. Hays says that households should once again become producers not consumers. Every home should be comprised of not just living people but all kinds of living things, gardens, yeast, fermentation, livestock, etc.
All of the twenty people/couples Hays studied choose to live alternatively, either in small houses they have refurbished themselves, or in trailers or with extended family. They grow much of their own food via gardening and raising chickens or livestock. They barter often with neighbors and others in their communities. They are clever about living happily with very limited incomes. They enjoy doing the things at home that allow them freedom from the materialistic and promote deeper family and community ties. They are very conscientious about ecological factors and social justice issues.
Hays identifies seven subtle characteristics or skills that these Radical Homemakers have cultivated that allow them to live these alternative lifestyles. They are: 1) nurturing relationships, 2) working with a life-serving economy, 3)cultivating an ability to self-teach, 4)setting realistic expectations and limits, 5)redefining pleasure in their lives, 6)rediscovering the taste of real food, 7)adopting a fearless attitude in withstanding contrary cultural expectations.
Hays uses the term 'extractive economy' often in this book. This is our current economy which requires all our needs to be met through consumerism. She juxtaposes this against a 'life-serving' economy where actual money plays a secondary role and meeting basic needs happens through skilled labor and creativity that directly meets the need. Hays quotes the likes of Wendell Berry and Thomas Berry throughout the book. She has really researched all the issues that the Radical Homemaker lifestyle raises and she systematically addresses them and argues that the Radical Homemaker has chosen the better way. For instance, instead of paying so much for health care insurance, Radical Homemakers prefer to put their money towards eating real food, growing medicinal herbs and seeking alternative medicine instead of playing into current, overpriced and often questionable health care practices. They've jumped off the hamster wheel lifestyle of living for one's paycheck, which means they live much less stressful lives which are intrinsically more satisfying because they focus on relationships and creativity. Stress, we know, is a great harm to health and so they have rid themselves of a major aggravator of major health issues.
The book is chock full of instances where the different people who identify as Radical Homemakers grapple with various situations such as paying for housing, pregnancies, dealing with schools or homeschooling, family illnesses, etc. There is a lot of practical information to be gained by reading their stories and hearing their voices as they describe the reasoning behind their life choices.
I found this book to be thought-provoking and very interesting. This is a kind of feminism I can get behind. One where men and women are equal and both engaged in living not lives of materialism and status, but centered in family and deeper pursuits. Toward the end of the book, Hays says that Radical Homemaking needs to be a bigger movement in order to change our society's negative and destructive trajectory that destroy family and personal satisfaction. However, I simply don't think it is practical to expect everyone to get off the grid, so to speak. I do think that a significant minority could. And I do think it is a growing trend. At least I have witnessed it in the Crunchy Con, real food, homeschooling circles I travel in.
The very end of the book has slightly more in depth biographies of all the people/couples Hays interviewed for her study. This part was a bit redundant, as I felt I had come to know these people in the earlier section of the book. And in fact some of the write up in the biography section is word for word what was in the prior chapters of the book. So that last section felt odd and unnecessary.
I read this book on my Kindle.
I definitely recommend this book. I'll be mulling over the ideas presented for a long while to come. By the way, Hays has a website: radicalhomemakers.com
For more book reviews, visit 52 Books.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Blogging Break for Lent!
I have been sort of struggling to blog lately, except when it comes to the 52 Books thing. So I decided that I'll just give myself a break this Lent. But I will still blog about the books I'm reading on Sundays.
Also, I believe that another blogger is going to take up the Strewsday Tuesday thing for me but I haven't confirmed that yet, so we'll see. . .
I wish everyone who might stumble on this little post a blessed Lent.
Also, I believe that another blogger is going to take up the Strewsday Tuesday thing for me but I haven't confirmed that yet, so we'll see. . .
I wish everyone who might stumble on this little post a blessed Lent.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
I Can't Believe I'm Sitting Next to a Republican! - Book 12
So I've been fighting a nasty cold this week and as a result I couldn't sleep well. I spent my time reading How I Joined the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy (And Found Inner Peace) and then as a follow up, this book. I was very curious to see what the author, Harry Stein was thinking during the whole Bush vs. Obama thing but I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first. While Stein still made many good points, he was a lot angrier and, well, basically it is just a long litany of complaints about how conservatives just can't get a fair shake these days. I think he must feel very, very isolated in the New York City publishing/journalism world and he says as much. His changing views have alienated him from his neighbors, long time good friends, even his own father. The book lists different careers or geographical locations where conservatives have been isolated: journalism, publishing, social work, academia and the public school system, Hollywood, Madison, WI, and of course his own part of the world, New York City, and even San Francisco. There's 11,000 registered Republicans in San Francisco! Poor things!
I do agree that the ascendency of Left ideology has brought about a general decline in many areas of society. And I do think that Lefties have behaved in more and more thuggish ways; to wit, the recent Susan G. Komen debacle. Stein uses behavior he witnessed during the Obama campaign as his example. He does tend to rant about how they are all illogical and think with their emotions. I think this tends to be true as well. However, Stein is not a good critic here in this particular book. He delights in taking jabs and to me seems a little hysterical himself. For example, at one point he mentions a contestant on Jeopardy (who happened to have come from the town I currently reside in) and how in the interview portion of the show she told Alex Tribec how she was a social studies teacher who had fasted for Ramadan just to see what it was like. Stein says something really cutting about her. I was baffled until I realized that he was just knee-jerk reacting to her 'political correctness.' Huh? Do we have to judge everything everybody does in terms of whether they match our notion of what is politically correct? Why can't a teacher, who by the way, teaches about other cultures for a living, and who probably has Muslims in her classroom (My next door neighbors are Muslim) who might want to see what living through Ramadan is like? I simply see nothing wrong in that whatsoever. It made me feel like Stein's version of reality would be just as oppressive as the Leftists are. And frankly, the Right has no monopoly on manners or measured discussion. They can get pretty darn rabid too!
The other thing that rankled me about this book is Stein's constant amazement at how knee-jerk liberals were about the Iraq War. He went on and on, yet he never once even mentions possible reasons why the war was a good idea. I guess he's assuming only people in favor of the war will read his book so he doesn't need to explain, but if you are going to complain about how irrational the other side is, it might be a good idea to shore up your version of things with some reasoning.
I think that Stein's writing has changed a bit from his first book on this topic (he's written other books too on other topics) and this I Can't Believe I'm Sitting Next to a Republican (a line someone once said to him at a party, as they visibly backed away from him!). I think Stein unfortunately was influenced by the likes of Anne Coulter and Rush Limbaugh. While every once in a while one of those two will say something on the mark, to me they are pretty hateful. I always feel like I need to take a shower after listening to them (usually inadvertently! I'll be stuck somewhere with someone who is a regular listener). So Stein's writing takes on a nastier edge in this book. I think he kept things much lighter and more genuinely humorous in his first book.
I still agree with Stein's take on Feminism and its effects on society. He did a nice bit about homeschooling and how returning to the classics and traditional education is the direction we need to move in. It was very interesting getting the inside scoop on just how biased the media really is, biased to an absurd degree. And Stein does a great job of searching out those plucky conservatives who in spite of the cards being stacked against them, manage to carve out careers in Hollywood or are brazen enough to start a local conservative talk radio show in Madison, Wisconsin. I found the letter from his friend who has been living in France for years chilling, as he (the friend) checks off all the things wrong with France currently and predicts that this is the road Obama wants to lead this nation down. His friend says something like, I don't have to predict failure, I'm living with failure right now, when he talks about the heavy tax burden (that creates black markets), the lousy healthcare, the fact that France has to import workers because of its low population growth, etc.
Stein ends with the rise in independent, conservative publishing houses that have proven to be very successful as a sign of hope that there can be a free exchange of ideas, though the general environment might be very inhospitable.
This book helped me sort out some ambivalent feelings. I discovered I am not a Republican. I started out as a pro-life Democrat but that party betrayed me and my ilk a long time ago. So, I am politically homeless. But you know what? I think I like it that way!
For more book reviews go to 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
I do agree that the ascendency of Left ideology has brought about a general decline in many areas of society. And I do think that Lefties have behaved in more and more thuggish ways; to wit, the recent Susan G. Komen debacle. Stein uses behavior he witnessed during the Obama campaign as his example. He does tend to rant about how they are all illogical and think with their emotions. I think this tends to be true as well. However, Stein is not a good critic here in this particular book. He delights in taking jabs and to me seems a little hysterical himself. For example, at one point he mentions a contestant on Jeopardy (who happened to have come from the town I currently reside in) and how in the interview portion of the show she told Alex Tribec how she was a social studies teacher who had fasted for Ramadan just to see what it was like. Stein says something really cutting about her. I was baffled until I realized that he was just knee-jerk reacting to her 'political correctness.' Huh? Do we have to judge everything everybody does in terms of whether they match our notion of what is politically correct? Why can't a teacher, who by the way, teaches about other cultures for a living, and who probably has Muslims in her classroom (My next door neighbors are Muslim) who might want to see what living through Ramadan is like? I simply see nothing wrong in that whatsoever. It made me feel like Stein's version of reality would be just as oppressive as the Leftists are. And frankly, the Right has no monopoly on manners or measured discussion. They can get pretty darn rabid too!
The other thing that rankled me about this book is Stein's constant amazement at how knee-jerk liberals were about the Iraq War. He went on and on, yet he never once even mentions possible reasons why the war was a good idea. I guess he's assuming only people in favor of the war will read his book so he doesn't need to explain, but if you are going to complain about how irrational the other side is, it might be a good idea to shore up your version of things with some reasoning.
I think that Stein's writing has changed a bit from his first book on this topic (he's written other books too on other topics) and this I Can't Believe I'm Sitting Next to a Republican (a line someone once said to him at a party, as they visibly backed away from him!). I think Stein unfortunately was influenced by the likes of Anne Coulter and Rush Limbaugh. While every once in a while one of those two will say something on the mark, to me they are pretty hateful. I always feel like I need to take a shower after listening to them (usually inadvertently! I'll be stuck somewhere with someone who is a regular listener). So Stein's writing takes on a nastier edge in this book. I think he kept things much lighter and more genuinely humorous in his first book.
I still agree with Stein's take on Feminism and its effects on society. He did a nice bit about homeschooling and how returning to the classics and traditional education is the direction we need to move in. It was very interesting getting the inside scoop on just how biased the media really is, biased to an absurd degree. And Stein does a great job of searching out those plucky conservatives who in spite of the cards being stacked against them, manage to carve out careers in Hollywood or are brazen enough to start a local conservative talk radio show in Madison, Wisconsin. I found the letter from his friend who has been living in France for years chilling, as he (the friend) checks off all the things wrong with France currently and predicts that this is the road Obama wants to lead this nation down. His friend says something like, I don't have to predict failure, I'm living with failure right now, when he talks about the heavy tax burden (that creates black markets), the lousy healthcare, the fact that France has to import workers because of its low population growth, etc.
Stein ends with the rise in independent, conservative publishing houses that have proven to be very successful as a sign of hope that there can be a free exchange of ideas, though the general environment might be very inhospitable.
This book helped me sort out some ambivalent feelings. I discovered I am not a Republican. I started out as a pro-life Democrat but that party betrayed me and my ilk a long time ago. So, I am politically homeless. But you know what? I think I like it that way!
For more book reviews go to 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
How I Accidentally Joined the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy (and found inner peace) - Book 11
I am always interested in conversion stories, usually of a religious nature but sometimes in other aspects too. I saw this book listed on a blog I stumbled on one day that had a long list of recommended books. The blog itself was proudly conservative in point of view and one of the many books listed was this particular one. I thought the title and premise sounded very intriguing. Harry Stein, the author, went from being a 60's radical on his college campus to a Republican-sympathizer proud of the moniker 'conservative', even though it does make him wince at times (mostly because for years and years he wouldn't have recognized himself in that way.)
Stein is an amusing writer. I wouldn't call him the deepest thinker in the world. He spent most of his journalistic career writing for the likes of Esquire Magazine and TV Guide. However, he is a very honest observer and he thinks things through to their logical conclusions.
Stein traces his metamorphosis from anti-war demonstrator and free love advocate to career journalist who eventually has an ethics column in the Wall Street Journal. His job gives him a close up of the media and slowly he begins to rebel against the political correctness and groupthink that has him and his cohorts in such a grip that they are literally afraid to report the truth about things but always feel compelled to give a particular spin to stories. And most reporters don't even realize how biased they are. He has great admiration for those who are consistent and cut against the grain, like Nat Hentoff, for example. He blames most of his transformation on meeting his wife who inspired ridiculously old fashioned feelings such as: couples ought to be faithful to one another, and parents should put their children ahead of their own careers. He has the audacity to be influenced by his wife who followed her motherly instincts (even though she had a seemingly great and glossy career) and decided not to do like all her peers and have daycare raise their children. He began to hate the sexualization of our culture because he instinctively found it a crummy place in which to raise kids. He traces it back to feminism. He does a very insightful analysis of feminism and how much harm it has done society. He is also very fair and talks about the good as well, but his gift is honesty and he can parse through the good and the bad with real clarity.
I really think the force that moves Stein's thinking from point A to point B is that he can't stand hypocrisy in others and especially in himself, and because of that he's self-reflective and also more open-minded. He went from hating pro-lifers to being sympathetic. He still thinks abortion should be legal, so he isn't that socially conservative but he was shocked to discover upon meeting pro-life advocates that they didn't actually hate women but rather saw the unborn child as the victim. This was a great revelation apparently. Because of abortions in his past he can't quite get himself to draw the obvious conclusion. However, he does wind up saying that the argument boils down to which thing you see as more sacred: human life or a woman's right to choose. To me, the idea that these two choices are weighted equally somehow, defies belief but Stein hasn't gotten there yet.
I don't think I've shifted as much as Stein has. I've always been pro-life, anti-death penalty and very, very cautious about war. I just can't get as worked up over 2nd amendment rights as I do the First or Fourth or Fifth. And Stein really goes after affirmative action in the last section of his book and frankly, I've always been sympathetic, though not uncritical, of its attempt to even the playing field.
This book is a little bit dated in that it is written during the whole Clinton-Lewinsky debacle and Stein plainly sees Clinton as everything that's gone wrong with liberal thinking. He can't stand the guy! It had me wondering what he thinks now. I'm looking forward to reading his more recent book on this subject: I Can't Believe I'm Sitting Next to a Republican!
I got this book out of my local library. Stein is a very funny writer. This book had me guffawing in places. I appreciated his honesty, clarity and wit.
Two thumbs up! For more reviews visit 52 Books.
Stein is an amusing writer. I wouldn't call him the deepest thinker in the world. He spent most of his journalistic career writing for the likes of Esquire Magazine and TV Guide. However, he is a very honest observer and he thinks things through to their logical conclusions.
Stein traces his metamorphosis from anti-war demonstrator and free love advocate to career journalist who eventually has an ethics column in the Wall Street Journal. His job gives him a close up of the media and slowly he begins to rebel against the political correctness and groupthink that has him and his cohorts in such a grip that they are literally afraid to report the truth about things but always feel compelled to give a particular spin to stories. And most reporters don't even realize how biased they are. He has great admiration for those who are consistent and cut against the grain, like Nat Hentoff, for example. He blames most of his transformation on meeting his wife who inspired ridiculously old fashioned feelings such as: couples ought to be faithful to one another, and parents should put their children ahead of their own careers. He has the audacity to be influenced by his wife who followed her motherly instincts (even though she had a seemingly great and glossy career) and decided not to do like all her peers and have daycare raise their children. He began to hate the sexualization of our culture because he instinctively found it a crummy place in which to raise kids. He traces it back to feminism. He does a very insightful analysis of feminism and how much harm it has done society. He is also very fair and talks about the good as well, but his gift is honesty and he can parse through the good and the bad with real clarity.
I really think the force that moves Stein's thinking from point A to point B is that he can't stand hypocrisy in others and especially in himself, and because of that he's self-reflective and also more open-minded. He went from hating pro-lifers to being sympathetic. He still thinks abortion should be legal, so he isn't that socially conservative but he was shocked to discover upon meeting pro-life advocates that they didn't actually hate women but rather saw the unborn child as the victim. This was a great revelation apparently. Because of abortions in his past he can't quite get himself to draw the obvious conclusion. However, he does wind up saying that the argument boils down to which thing you see as more sacred: human life or a woman's right to choose. To me, the idea that these two choices are weighted equally somehow, defies belief but Stein hasn't gotten there yet.
I don't think I've shifted as much as Stein has. I've always been pro-life, anti-death penalty and very, very cautious about war. I just can't get as worked up over 2nd amendment rights as I do the First or Fourth or Fifth. And Stein really goes after affirmative action in the last section of his book and frankly, I've always been sympathetic, though not uncritical, of its attempt to even the playing field.
This book is a little bit dated in that it is written during the whole Clinton-Lewinsky debacle and Stein plainly sees Clinton as everything that's gone wrong with liberal thinking. He can't stand the guy! It had me wondering what he thinks now. I'm looking forward to reading his more recent book on this subject: I Can't Believe I'm Sitting Next to a Republican!
I got this book out of my local library. Stein is a very funny writer. This book had me guffawing in places. I appreciated his honesty, clarity and wit.
Two thumbs up! For more reviews visit 52 Books.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Strewsday Tuesday - Valentine's Day Edition!
I thought I'd focus on the formal schooling we do and how that strews too!
Becky is working her way through The Life of Fred series. She's in the middle of Edgewood where she's encountering geometry. She comes and tells me on her own what it is she's reading about. She's fascinated by learning about trapezoids and rombuses (Rombi???).
We continue to work through the weekly visual aids and the worksheets for Aquinas Learning. This week, Week 17 of Cycle C, we are learning in each of the 8 categories: Virtue - compassion; Catechism - 5 types of prayer, History- Slavery Divides the Nation (Dred Scott decision, abolition, Underground Railroad); Civics - 3 qualifications for President; Latin/Greek - 5 Greek words; Grammar - what is a rhetorical question?; Science - what is a chemical element?; Geography - Florida and Texas (we are working our way through all 50 states).
I focus on Geography, Latin/Greek and Catechism. The other things are fun possibilities for rabbit trails. Geography because Becky really enjoys it, Latin/Greek because I'm geeky that way! And Catechism - well, because it's the Catechism!
We've been much more formal with Sean as the year goes by because of the whole Trinity school thing next year. Right now we are in the painful process of filling out the Candidate Questionaire. I think this will be the hardest aspect of applying and the one Sean hates the most! I plan to use it as copy work for the next three weeks. We are working on the answers together. He pretty much dictates to me and then I write it down. He's going to copy it over for handwriting practice. It's painful!
Sean enjoys the writing program we are using, as I've mentioned a couple of times already, I'm sure. He had to read excerpts from a biography of George Washington Carver and then another one about Jenner, the guy who discovered the Smallpox vaccine. He finds all this very interesting. Also, he's enjoying studying Latin too. He seems to like the vocabulary games at Headventure Land. He also seems to be enjoying the Ecce Romani book. And I can see how all this studying is suddenly consolidating as we work through the National Latin Exam practice tests. He's getting much faster at it.
So this isn't the unschooling part of our day but it leads to lots of learning anyway, LOL! My kids thrive best when there is a mix of formal and informal learning going on each day.
So has your family embarked on some structured learning recently? Or what are you consciously or unconsciously strewing?
Becky is working her way through The Life of Fred series. She's in the middle of Edgewood where she's encountering geometry. She comes and tells me on her own what it is she's reading about. She's fascinated by learning about trapezoids and rombuses (Rombi???).
We continue to work through the weekly visual aids and the worksheets for Aquinas Learning. This week, Week 17 of Cycle C, we are learning in each of the 8 categories: Virtue - compassion; Catechism - 5 types of prayer, History- Slavery Divides the Nation (Dred Scott decision, abolition, Underground Railroad); Civics - 3 qualifications for President; Latin/Greek - 5 Greek words; Grammar - what is a rhetorical question?; Science - what is a chemical element?; Geography - Florida and Texas (we are working our way through all 50 states).
I focus on Geography, Latin/Greek and Catechism. The other things are fun possibilities for rabbit trails. Geography because Becky really enjoys it, Latin/Greek because I'm geeky that way! And Catechism - well, because it's the Catechism!
We've been much more formal with Sean as the year goes by because of the whole Trinity school thing next year. Right now we are in the painful process of filling out the Candidate Questionaire. I think this will be the hardest aspect of applying and the one Sean hates the most! I plan to use it as copy work for the next three weeks. We are working on the answers together. He pretty much dictates to me and then I write it down. He's going to copy it over for handwriting practice. It's painful!
Sean enjoys the writing program we are using, as I've mentioned a couple of times already, I'm sure. He had to read excerpts from a biography of George Washington Carver and then another one about Jenner, the guy who discovered the Smallpox vaccine. He finds all this very interesting. Also, he's enjoying studying Latin too. He seems to like the vocabulary games at Headventure Land. He also seems to be enjoying the Ecce Romani book. And I can see how all this studying is suddenly consolidating as we work through the National Latin Exam practice tests. He's getting much faster at it.
So this isn't the unschooling part of our day but it leads to lots of learning anyway, LOL! My kids thrive best when there is a mix of formal and informal learning going on each day.
So has your family embarked on some structured learning recently? Or what are you consciously or unconsciously strewing?
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Keeping House: The Litany of Everyday Life - Book 10
Keeping House: The Litany of Everyday Life by Margaret Kim Peterson is a very thoughtful, precise and inspiring look at the Christian dimensions of housekeeping.
The author's voice is very calm and practical and I found myself nodding in agreement throughout as she made observations about the way our culture dismisses housekeeping as not valuable and yet at the same time demands perfection in terms of size, design, up to the minute upgrades in appliances and decorating, etc. Our consumerist, keeping up with the Jones, brainwashing via advertisements and media pushes against our busyness and devaluation of the actual things needed to be done over and over again in order to achieve that Hollywood-inspired perfection.
Mrs. Peterson uses the idea of liturgy and prayers of litany, where the same actions, responses and rituals are performed repeatedly in order to add meaning to our lives, not to detract from it. So too could the menial and mundane daily activities that necessarily make up the act of keeping house. If we are embued in a Christian mindset these actions can be a path to living out a Christian life. For example the liturgical year is a very orderly and satisfying way to organize the living out of our faith in time. We repeat the same celebrations and rememberances every year. This gives us comfort and allows us to dig deeper each year when we once again confront that aspect of the Christian year. Housework can also be approached this way. Mrs. Peterson does a wonderful job of going through each aspect of housekeeping from clothing storage to cleaning to cooking and examines our preconceptions in light of the Gospel.
I should probably read this type of book continually. Housekeeping is such a very dreary thing to me. I have never felt any satisfaction from it and I fear my bad attitude is so deeply wedged into my pysche that I may never be free! But books like this really are inspirational and do seem to lighten the burden psychologically for a brief period of time for me. I'm like a leaky sink where the stopper doesn't work. You can pour the water in but it drains almost as fast as it goes in. So I need continual inspiration in order to be full!
Willa had a book study on Keeping House on her blog. I wanted to participate but as usual, I started out gangbusters and soon fizzled. I think I'm going to avoid books studies in the future as I just can't seem to discipline myself to keep up with them. But Willa always has such a profound and clear response to things. I love to read her thoughts and analysis.
In her conclusion, Mrs. Peterson says: "The sacramental quality of home means that a well-kept house is a means to an end, not an end in itself. Faithfully keeping house is a way to remember God's promises of home and actively participate in the fulfillment of those promises." Having that kind of understanding makes washing the dishes for the third time in a day or spending yet another hour trying to hold back the chaos of clutter that perennially builds up around me, much, much easier to bear.
I read this book on my Kindle. I hope to reread it again as I think it is the type of thing that would give even more inspiration the second time around.
Highly recommended, if you need inspiration in this area of your life.
For more book reviews, go to Read 52 Books.
The author's voice is very calm and practical and I found myself nodding in agreement throughout as she made observations about the way our culture dismisses housekeeping as not valuable and yet at the same time demands perfection in terms of size, design, up to the minute upgrades in appliances and decorating, etc. Our consumerist, keeping up with the Jones, brainwashing via advertisements and media pushes against our busyness and devaluation of the actual things needed to be done over and over again in order to achieve that Hollywood-inspired perfection.
Mrs. Peterson uses the idea of liturgy and prayers of litany, where the same actions, responses and rituals are performed repeatedly in order to add meaning to our lives, not to detract from it. So too could the menial and mundane daily activities that necessarily make up the act of keeping house. If we are embued in a Christian mindset these actions can be a path to living out a Christian life. For example the liturgical year is a very orderly and satisfying way to organize the living out of our faith in time. We repeat the same celebrations and rememberances every year. This gives us comfort and allows us to dig deeper each year when we once again confront that aspect of the Christian year. Housework can also be approached this way. Mrs. Peterson does a wonderful job of going through each aspect of housekeeping from clothing storage to cleaning to cooking and examines our preconceptions in light of the Gospel.
I should probably read this type of book continually. Housekeeping is such a very dreary thing to me. I have never felt any satisfaction from it and I fear my bad attitude is so deeply wedged into my pysche that I may never be free! But books like this really are inspirational and do seem to lighten the burden psychologically for a brief period of time for me. I'm like a leaky sink where the stopper doesn't work. You can pour the water in but it drains almost as fast as it goes in. So I need continual inspiration in order to be full!
Willa had a book study on Keeping House on her blog. I wanted to participate but as usual, I started out gangbusters and soon fizzled. I think I'm going to avoid books studies in the future as I just can't seem to discipline myself to keep up with them. But Willa always has such a profound and clear response to things. I love to read her thoughts and analysis.
In her conclusion, Mrs. Peterson says: "The sacramental quality of home means that a well-kept house is a means to an end, not an end in itself. Faithfully keeping house is a way to remember God's promises of home and actively participate in the fulfillment of those promises." Having that kind of understanding makes washing the dishes for the third time in a day or spending yet another hour trying to hold back the chaos of clutter that perennially builds up around me, much, much easier to bear.
I read this book on my Kindle. I hope to reread it again as I think it is the type of thing that would give even more inspiration the second time around.
Highly recommended, if you need inspiration in this area of your life.
For more book reviews, go to Read 52 Books.
Henry V - Book 9
Sean and I read Henry V by William Shakespeare together for part of his 7th grade literature study. We watched the movie first and Sean wants to watch it again now that we've read the play. This is the Branagh version. I'd like to watch the Olivier one just to say I've seen it. I really don't like Olivier's acting all that much. I think he was too stiff and overacted, but I've heard he did this play well. I actually saw this play a long time ago at the Folger Theatre in Washington D.C. I think I was right out of college so it was over 25 years ago!
I love this story. It has that wonderful rousing St. Crispian's Day speech in it that gets anyone's blood up, even a non-violent kinda person like me! And it has the funny scenes in French. And it plays off the idea of Henry as one who grew into manhood when the duties of kingship were thrust upon him and his carefree, reckless days of youth were left behind. He is portrayed as strong and chivalrous, courageous and just. I do think Shakespeare could have edited down the bit about the glove, though. I thought it went on too long and took too long to make a point. But that's my only quibble. Here's some info on Henry V.
So two thumbs up from me! Go here for more book reviews.
I love this story. It has that wonderful rousing St. Crispian's Day speech in it that gets anyone's blood up, even a non-violent kinda person like me! And it has the funny scenes in French. And it plays off the idea of Henry as one who grew into manhood when the duties of kingship were thrust upon him and his carefree, reckless days of youth were left behind. He is portrayed as strong and chivalrous, courageous and just. I do think Shakespeare could have edited down the bit about the glove, though. I thought it went on too long and took too long to make a point. But that's my only quibble. Here's some info on Henry V.
So two thumbs up from me! Go here for more book reviews.
Friday, February 10, 2012
7 Quick Takes 2/10/12
Little things:
1. I've been working on reducing my intake of caffeine. Down to 1 cup of coffee in the a.m. and one cup of tea in the p.m. However, Fridays are hard because I have to do a lot of driving in the afternoon and sometimes I get so sleepy, I scare myself. So I cheated today and had a little cup of coffee at Trader Joe's when I was shopping there. Still, in spite of that set back, I feel I'm doing pretty well. Hopefully I'll be down to decaf only by Lent!
2. Rick is teaching Becky how to play America the Beautiful on the piano. He doesn't even play but he can read music because he used to play clarinet in high school band. It's from a beginners book. But Becky loves it and practices all the time. She's memorized the words too. She's got a pretty singing voice, in spite of the fact that she's had a cold all week.
3. Josh made me an early Valentine card. He was sick too but he felt well enough to go to his Shakespeare class and they had a little Valentine party. On the front of his card, he wrote "My heart is ever at your service." William Shakespeare. Then inside he wrote: Dear Mother, I love you for all the time and effort you put into raising me. Love, Josh. Made me cry. It was especially moving because earlier in the week I got so frustrated with him that I threw a wet sponge at him (I happen to have been washing dishes at the time.) Not a stellar mothering moment!
4. Started reading the second book in the Austin series by Madeleine L'Engle. It's called The Moon by Night. Vicky the protagonist tells the story. She's now 14 and starting to deal with boys. I'm a little nervous reading it to Becky, but I guess she's already been through the Harry Potter series so she's met this boy/girl dating thing before. It is funny though the slang some of the characters use. Right out of a movie from the 1950s. What's neat is that the Austin family are traveling and camping across America, so we are visiting various states. Since we are also studying the states in our Aquinas Learning, Becky is making connections and likes to get up and consult the globe to trace their journey.
5. I finally got my act together and started filling out the application to Trinity. I bought Ecce Romani because I exchanged e-mails with the Latin teacher there and that is the text they use. In order to be ready for 8th grade Latin Sean needs to have lessons 1 - 17 under his belt. It is a fun, well done book. We've done two chapters so far. Some is review but it is really helping Sean with his vocabulary and reading comprehension. He also is really enjoying Writing with Skill. I mean he'll come out and talk about the lesson he just did. I really highly recommend this program! My favorite writing program yet!
6. My aunt is getting ready to move into an assisted living place in DC. She's selling her condo and is busy clearing through years and years of stuff. We got several of her paintings (she used to paint) and lots and lots of books from her. Some of the books were little language phrase books she used when she was traveling around Europe. Sean found these and is absolutely fascinated by the Swedish one. He spent a couple of hours this afternoon reading Swedish phrases out loud and laughing at his own inability to pronounce anything right!
7. A long time ago I ordered There Be Dragons from Netflix and it just showed up today. I had completely forgotten I'd ordered it. I'm very interested in learning more about St. Josemaria Escriva. Especially in light of our pending visit to Spain. So I'm going to try to watch that movie at some point over the weekend.
For more 7 quick takes, go here!
1. I've been working on reducing my intake of caffeine. Down to 1 cup of coffee in the a.m. and one cup of tea in the p.m. However, Fridays are hard because I have to do a lot of driving in the afternoon and sometimes I get so sleepy, I scare myself. So I cheated today and had a little cup of coffee at Trader Joe's when I was shopping there. Still, in spite of that set back, I feel I'm doing pretty well. Hopefully I'll be down to decaf only by Lent!
2. Rick is teaching Becky how to play America the Beautiful on the piano. He doesn't even play but he can read music because he used to play clarinet in high school band. It's from a beginners book. But Becky loves it and practices all the time. She's memorized the words too. She's got a pretty singing voice, in spite of the fact that she's had a cold all week.
3. Josh made me an early Valentine card. He was sick too but he felt well enough to go to his Shakespeare class and they had a little Valentine party. On the front of his card, he wrote "My heart is ever at your service." William Shakespeare. Then inside he wrote: Dear Mother, I love you for all the time and effort you put into raising me. Love, Josh. Made me cry. It was especially moving because earlier in the week I got so frustrated with him that I threw a wet sponge at him (I happen to have been washing dishes at the time.) Not a stellar mothering moment!
4. Started reading the second book in the Austin series by Madeleine L'Engle. It's called The Moon by Night. Vicky the protagonist tells the story. She's now 14 and starting to deal with boys. I'm a little nervous reading it to Becky, but I guess she's already been through the Harry Potter series so she's met this boy/girl dating thing before. It is funny though the slang some of the characters use. Right out of a movie from the 1950s. What's neat is that the Austin family are traveling and camping across America, so we are visiting various states. Since we are also studying the states in our Aquinas Learning, Becky is making connections and likes to get up and consult the globe to trace their journey.
5. I finally got my act together and started filling out the application to Trinity. I bought Ecce Romani because I exchanged e-mails with the Latin teacher there and that is the text they use. In order to be ready for 8th grade Latin Sean needs to have lessons 1 - 17 under his belt. It is a fun, well done book. We've done two chapters so far. Some is review but it is really helping Sean with his vocabulary and reading comprehension. He also is really enjoying Writing with Skill. I mean he'll come out and talk about the lesson he just did. I really highly recommend this program! My favorite writing program yet!
6. My aunt is getting ready to move into an assisted living place in DC. She's selling her condo and is busy clearing through years and years of stuff. We got several of her paintings (she used to paint) and lots and lots of books from her. Some of the books were little language phrase books she used when she was traveling around Europe. Sean found these and is absolutely fascinated by the Swedish one. He spent a couple of hours this afternoon reading Swedish phrases out loud and laughing at his own inability to pronounce anything right!
7. A long time ago I ordered There Be Dragons from Netflix and it just showed up today. I had completely forgotten I'd ordered it. I'm very interested in learning more about St. Josemaria Escriva. Especially in light of our pending visit to Spain. So I'm going to try to watch that movie at some point over the weekend.
For more 7 quick takes, go here!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Strewsday Tuesday - 2/7/12
No conscious strewing going on at all here lately.
However, Josh, my introverted, quiet one, got himself elected to the position of Secretary for his Catholic Life Community group at Church. He was pleased with that! The group always goes on an overnight retreat to vote, which they did Friday. They use the same voting methods as the cardinals do to vote for a new pope! I think being an officer for the group will be a good opportunity and teach Josh a little responsibility.
I don't know what this may lead to in an academic sense, Becky got found a bunch of old photo albums and left them out on the coffee table. So everyone's been looking through them. It made both Becky and Sean very sentimental and teary-eyed. The awful thing is I managed to make a baby book for each child except Sean! Sean was really hurt when he noticed this and he kept asking us things like 'What was my first word?' and "When did I first walk?" and both Rick and I were mortified that we couldn't remember. Oh dear. So we've been trying to make it up to him ever since. I think Rick has promised him the moon by now. Poor kid is going to be in therapy for years because of his lousy parents.
Becky also found the Multiplication Rock cd and has been listening to that as well as the CD from The Story of the Orchestra. That girl is so easy to unschool!
Sean's been obsessed with comparing Buster Keaton movies with Charlie Chaplin movies. He's having his own private movie marathon comparing the two. He was also anxiously waiting for the Annie awards on Saturday night.
That's all I can think of. What's going on in your house?
However, Josh, my introverted, quiet one, got himself elected to the position of Secretary for his Catholic Life Community group at Church. He was pleased with that! The group always goes on an overnight retreat to vote, which they did Friday. They use the same voting methods as the cardinals do to vote for a new pope! I think being an officer for the group will be a good opportunity and teach Josh a little responsibility.
I don't know what this may lead to in an academic sense, Becky got found a bunch of old photo albums and left them out on the coffee table. So everyone's been looking through them. It made both Becky and Sean very sentimental and teary-eyed. The awful thing is I managed to make a baby book for each child except Sean! Sean was really hurt when he noticed this and he kept asking us things like 'What was my first word?' and "When did I first walk?" and both Rick and I were mortified that we couldn't remember. Oh dear. So we've been trying to make it up to him ever since. I think Rick has promised him the moon by now. Poor kid is going to be in therapy for years because of his lousy parents.
Becky also found the Multiplication Rock cd and has been listening to that as well as the CD from The Story of the Orchestra. That girl is so easy to unschool!
Sean's been obsessed with comparing Buster Keaton movies with Charlie Chaplin movies. He's having his own private movie marathon comparing the two. He was also anxiously waiting for the Annie awards on Saturday night.
That's all I can think of. What's going on in your house?
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Meet the Austins - Book 8
The only Madeleine L'Engle books I was familiar with were the Wrinkle in Time series and some of her adult books. I've read a Circle of Quiet and maybe another book by her. But quite a while ago I impulse purchased Meet The Austins, I think after my sister recommended it. She had read it aloud to her son. Well, for some reason, after years of it sitting on our bookshelf, I finally picked it up and read it to Becky. We loved it!
I think the book is set in the 1950s. The Austins are a family that live in New England somewhere in an old rambling house out in the country. Their father is a doctor and their mother keeps house. The story is told from the perspective of Vicky the 12 yo. She's got an older brother named John and two younger siblings, Suzy and Rob. The family is a happy, well-adjusted one. Things get disrupted when Maggy, an orphan, comes to live with them. The book is about Maggy's first year with the family. It is a very sweet and touching book told really accurately from the 12 year old's perspective. It was nice to read a book set in more modern times where the family actually says prayers at night, goes to church and discusses God. It is a very comforting book. Apparently, it is part of a series and we hope to read more of the Austins adventures.
Another two thumbs up! Go to 52 Books for more book reviews.
I think the book is set in the 1950s. The Austins are a family that live in New England somewhere in an old rambling house out in the country. Their father is a doctor and their mother keeps house. The story is told from the perspective of Vicky the 12 yo. She's got an older brother named John and two younger siblings, Suzy and Rob. The family is a happy, well-adjusted one. Things get disrupted when Maggy, an orphan, comes to live with them. The book is about Maggy's first year with the family. It is a very sweet and touching book told really accurately from the 12 year old's perspective. It was nice to read a book set in more modern times where the family actually says prayers at night, goes to church and discusses God. It is a very comforting book. Apparently, it is part of a series and we hope to read more of the Austins adventures.
Another two thumbs up! Go to 52 Books for more book reviews.
Driving Over Lemons - Book 7
Driving Over Lemons by Chris Stewart is about a man and his wife who decide to move from England and buy a farm in the Andalucian area of Spain. In fact the subtitle on my edition of the book is "An Optimist in Andalucia", though I notice the Amazon page I've linked to says "An Optimist in Spain." I guess they thought Americans wouldn't know where Andalucia was.
Chris Stewart is an excellent writer. The front book flap and the reviews all mention that he was a drummer for the band Genesis, but he never mentions that fact at all. I think his life is much too rich with his adventures in Spain to dwell very much on his past careers. He is a very funny writer, very self-deprecating, sort of in the manner of James Herriot in the All Things Bright and Beautiful books.
Stewart was making his living doing three things, writing travel books, playing guitar in a Russian restaurant in London and sheep shearing, both in England and as a contract worker in Sweden! Both he and his wife dream of moving to Spain. They both seem pretty comfortable with the language as that doesn't seem to pose much of an obstacle for them. She runs a horticulture business and he, of course, dreams of becoming a sheep farmer. His wife, Ana, bravely sends him off to Spain to buy a farm with all their money. He finds one outside a small village in a gorgeous setting. He is undaunted by the fact that it has no running water or electricity or even something as convenient as a stove. There's also the rascal of an owner who sells the farm but then takes months to actually move out (they live there with him for several comical months).
Stewart is really good at relating the different personalities of his new neighbors and he tells one funny story after another. Oh, I forget to mention the farm doesn't have a road going to it. Stewart has to build a road and a bridge to get to the farm! The adventures deepen when Ana after years of trying, finally gets pregnant. The couple has their daughter Chloe.
I found this book hard to put down. Stewart is a sweetheart of a guy and the book leaves you with warm fuzzies. Plus it was a great peek into a country and culture I know very little of. Two thumbs up!
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Chris Stewart is an excellent writer. The front book flap and the reviews all mention that he was a drummer for the band Genesis, but he never mentions that fact at all. I think his life is much too rich with his adventures in Spain to dwell very much on his past careers. He is a very funny writer, very self-deprecating, sort of in the manner of James Herriot in the All Things Bright and Beautiful books.
Stewart was making his living doing three things, writing travel books, playing guitar in a Russian restaurant in London and sheep shearing, both in England and as a contract worker in Sweden! Both he and his wife dream of moving to Spain. They both seem pretty comfortable with the language as that doesn't seem to pose much of an obstacle for them. She runs a horticulture business and he, of course, dreams of becoming a sheep farmer. His wife, Ana, bravely sends him off to Spain to buy a farm with all their money. He finds one outside a small village in a gorgeous setting. He is undaunted by the fact that it has no running water or electricity or even something as convenient as a stove. There's also the rascal of an owner who sells the farm but then takes months to actually move out (they live there with him for several comical months).
Stewart is really good at relating the different personalities of his new neighbors and he tells one funny story after another. Oh, I forget to mention the farm doesn't have a road going to it. Stewart has to build a road and a bridge to get to the farm! The adventures deepen when Ana after years of trying, finally gets pregnant. The couple has their daughter Chloe.
I found this book hard to put down. Stewart is a sweetheart of a guy and the book leaves you with warm fuzzies. Plus it was a great peek into a country and culture I know very little of. Two thumbs up!
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
Friday, February 3, 2012
7 Quick Takes - 2/3/12
1. My aunt has introduced me to the poetry of Robert Lax, a friend of Thomas Merton and a Catholic convert himself. She gave me one of his books, Love Had a Compass. He's lovely! I am enjoying exploring his quirky, otherworldly, gem-like poetry. She also gave me an audio collection of lectures entitled Ten Christian Mystics which includes Lax, along with others such as Mary, Julian of Norwich, St. John of the Cross and Gerard Manley Hopkins. I wish I had more time to listen to such things!
2. I'm preparing Sean for the National Latin Exam Intro level. While he's more or less got the grammar down he's not doing so hot on retaining vocabulary. In truth, I haven't really focused on it with him. So to make up for this he's been visiting this site to play the vocabulary games for review. He enjoys it and it seems to make the words stick in his brain. Hurray!
3. I tried two new foods this week, Kombucha, which is pretty much touted as an elixir of miraculous healing. Tastes like vinegar. And gluten free rice pasta. Tastes like blah.
4. Josh was supposed to start an on line writing program this week at Homeschool Connections. But as I am so wont to do lately I completely forgot about it. Actually, for some reason, I who compulsively check my email just didn't notice the one that reminded me of class and explained how to set up for it. Hopefully we'll take care it tonight. The classes do get recorded so he can listen and work on it this weekend. However, he has a overnight event with his Catholic Life Community which runs from Friday at 3:30 to Saturday around 3:30. And he probably won't get much sleep. So I guess he can work on it during the Superbowl. Right now he's studying for a Chemistry test scheduled for tomorrow morning and he's also got to finish reading Two Gentlemen of Verona for his Shakespeare class. He's going to have a busy weekend!
5. The weather has been crazy this winter. Lots of warm, spring like weather. One afternoon, when I meant to work with Becky on academic stuff, we just couldn't bring ourselves to do it. She played outside all afternoon making a little fairy house out of twigs and moss. She made furniture inside with leaves, pebbles and twigs. It was darling. I kept thinking, she won't be doing this kind of thing much longer. She's on the cusp of adolescence. Building fairy houses seemed much more important than, well really anything else!
6. My aunt is getting ready to sell her condo. She's been going into town and cleaning through stuff there. She showed me a picture of me when I was 4 months old! I never even knew such a picture existed! The earliest picture I have of me is when I was about 2 years old. I was my parents' 10th child so I just figured they had stopped taking pictures by then! It was neat to have this old photo resurface. I look forward to going through her big collection of old photos. She has signed a contract with an assisted living facility in D.C. and she's supposed to move in probably the end of March.
7. I'm going to squeeze two final things into this last one! My little niece has been diagnosed with a rare and possibly deadly condition known has FPIES. I had never heard of it before. Please pray for her and the children (and their parents) who are suffering from this disorder. And lastly, if you believe in our country's foundational principle of our right to free exercise of religion, please go sign this petition. It's not just a Catholic thing, though Catholics are taking the brunt, it really is about protecting a very basic constitutional right.
For more 7 Quick Takes, see Jenn Fulwiler's blog, Conversion Diary.
2. I'm preparing Sean for the National Latin Exam Intro level. While he's more or less got the grammar down he's not doing so hot on retaining vocabulary. In truth, I haven't really focused on it with him. So to make up for this he's been visiting this site to play the vocabulary games for review. He enjoys it and it seems to make the words stick in his brain. Hurray!
3. I tried two new foods this week, Kombucha, which is pretty much touted as an elixir of miraculous healing. Tastes like vinegar. And gluten free rice pasta. Tastes like blah.
4. Josh was supposed to start an on line writing program this week at Homeschool Connections. But as I am so wont to do lately I completely forgot about it. Actually, for some reason, I who compulsively check my email just didn't notice the one that reminded me of class and explained how to set up for it. Hopefully we'll take care it tonight. The classes do get recorded so he can listen and work on it this weekend. However, he has a overnight event with his Catholic Life Community which runs from Friday at 3:30 to Saturday around 3:30. And he probably won't get much sleep. So I guess he can work on it during the Superbowl. Right now he's studying for a Chemistry test scheduled for tomorrow morning and he's also got to finish reading Two Gentlemen of Verona for his Shakespeare class. He's going to have a busy weekend!
5. The weather has been crazy this winter. Lots of warm, spring like weather. One afternoon, when I meant to work with Becky on academic stuff, we just couldn't bring ourselves to do it. She played outside all afternoon making a little fairy house out of twigs and moss. She made furniture inside with leaves, pebbles and twigs. It was darling. I kept thinking, she won't be doing this kind of thing much longer. She's on the cusp of adolescence. Building fairy houses seemed much more important than, well really anything else!
6. My aunt is getting ready to sell her condo. She's been going into town and cleaning through stuff there. She showed me a picture of me when I was 4 months old! I never even knew such a picture existed! The earliest picture I have of me is when I was about 2 years old. I was my parents' 10th child so I just figured they had stopped taking pictures by then! It was neat to have this old photo resurface. I look forward to going through her big collection of old photos. She has signed a contract with an assisted living facility in D.C. and she's supposed to move in probably the end of March.
7. I'm going to squeeze two final things into this last one! My little niece has been diagnosed with a rare and possibly deadly condition known has FPIES. I had never heard of it before. Please pray for her and the children (and their parents) who are suffering from this disorder. And lastly, if you believe in our country's foundational principle of our right to free exercise of religion, please go sign this petition. It's not just a Catholic thing, though Catholics are taking the brunt, it really is about protecting a very basic constitutional right.
For more 7 Quick Takes, see Jenn Fulwiler's blog, Conversion Diary.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)