I've Been Spending Time...

...reading this blog this summer: http://www.antiracistparent.com/. I recommend it!

Social Justice Blog

It's a busy day at work today, so I don't have time to say much. However, I did want to post a link to this blog, which might be of interest to those who want to keep in touch with humanitarian and other concerns around the world: http://www.uusc.org/blog/hotwire.html.

Another Blog I Neglected To Mention

http://zachaboard.blogspot.com/

This blog belongs to a totally brilliant, creative, kind and generous, and all-around awesome houseboat-living mom I know from "elsewhere on the internet."

I also corrected a few blog links from my shout-out post, as they were to specific posts rather than the general blogs. If I missed any incorrect links, let me know.

(Added link to original post 3-10-09)

Sad

I just opened an email newsletter from the HANDLE institute to learn that its founder, Judith Bluestone, died this February. Our family experience with HANDLE was tremendously powerful, and Judith's book The Fabric of Autism: Weaving the Threads Into a Cogent Theory (which I personally prefer in audio format) remains on my all-time favorites list.

What sad news!

On a totally different note, here is another blog I neglected to put on my list. This is a mom I know from "elsewhere on the internet." She blogs periodically. Please note that she has music on her blog, so you'll want to turn down your speakers if you are at work or have a sleeping babe next to your speaker or anything like that ;-). http://adventureswithboandboo.blogspot.com/

(Added link to original post 3-10-09)

A List of Blogs I've Read (in recent memory) or Read

It's "shout out" time again.

Family of Faith (whose blogs may or may not be "about" faith)
http://bostonunitarian.blogspot.com/

http://www.peacebang.com/ and http://beautytipsforministers.com/

http://learningumbrella.homeschooljournal.net/

http://happycindy.blogspot.com/

http://monkeymindonline.blogspot.com/

http://mskittyssaloonandroadshow.blogspot.com/

http://uuminister.blogspot.com/ and http://www.lovethroughaction.blogspot.com/

http://thehanifblog.blogspot.com/ (at least skimmed)

http://chalicechick.blogspot.com/ (though I have to say because I can't post a link including someone else's endorsement before I've offered mine that I vehemently disagree with the UUA presidential candidate endorsement on this blog...more on that another day)

http://chalicespark.blogspot.com/

http://justgini.blogspot.com/

http://tandik-fueledbyfaith.blogspot.com/ (LOVE it, but not frequently updated)

http://barbsbantering.wordpress.com/

http://www.uumin.org/sam/ (click blog on the left hand side of page)

http://truust.org/

http://unmitigatedbliss.blogspot.com/

http://iminister.blogspot.com/


Guilty Pleasure
http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/


Montessori Mom I Discovered Randomly
http://chasingcheerios.blogspot.com/


Moms I "Know" From Elsewhere on the Internet
http://zachaboard.blogspot.com/

http://isle-of-inisfree.blogspot.com/

http://2undertoo.blogspot.com/

http://truebluexf.blogspot.com/

http://fostermomx2.blogspot.com/

http://rainbowmamajourney.blogspot.com/ (not updated for quite some time)

http://pumpkingirl71.livejournal.com/

http://adventureswithboandboo.blogspot.com/

...I know I am forgetting a number of folks, and I am so sorry but I am getting tired and need to head to bed. Ack! My deepest apologies.


Family Members
http://ragtagsf.blogspot.com/

http://awfulbrothers.blogspot.com/ (updated in periodic spurts)

http://colin-quodlibet.blogspot.com/

http://www.sunthroughleaves.blogspot.com/ (very sporadically updated)

http://www.chickadeescout.blogspot.com/

http://amazingadventuresofdante.blogspot.com/ (very sporadically updated)

http://justsebastian.blogspot.com/ (rarely updated)

...I'm probably forgetting whole other categories of blogs I read and stuff, but that's all I can do right now. Now, bed.

The Presidential Inauguration

The day after Barack Obama won the elections, G. caught me telling the kids, "We're going to go see Obama get sworn in as president!"

"No way," she said.

"Why not?" I asked, thinking that DC can't be that far from here in MA and imagining a three hour drive or something. Everything is so small here on the east coast.

"We don't have the money, that's why."

"Oh. Well, how much could it cost to drive down there for a day?"

"A lot. First of all, there is gas," (alright, she had me there). "Second of all, there is no way in heck we could put the kids through a drive there for seven or eight hours..." (SEVEN OR EIGHT HOURS?!) "...stay there for all day, and then try to drive back. You are talking about at least two overnights."

"Oh. Well, what if we slept in the car? Or we could camp. Come on, we could bring a cooler full of food and it would be a really memorable adventure."

"Sleep in the car, or camp with two small kids, in January?! Are you serious? No, there is no way in heck I am going for that. Besides, I already said there is no money for gas."

"I guess you've got me."

So I looked up stuff on inaguarations and learned that you usually can't see anything anyway. There are so many people there, there is no way you can actually see the president. And apparently its hard to see even the parade, which is really the only event designed for "common people" like ourselves. My kids would be sorely disappointed to go all that way and not even get a glimpse of Obama.

This made me feel a lot better about not going. I guess I had just wanted to be there with my kids on this very historical and amazing day. It's a day I feel like I've waited for my whole life.

But did you all get the email from the transition team, that more than ever before, Obama wants to inaugural events to not be just for big donors, but for the whole nation? Hmmm. The itch isn't back in full force, but it sure did make me stop for a minute.

Speaking of the inauguration, while I think the g/l/b/t community provided tremendous support for Obama and I don't fault the disappointment of people like my wife regarding Obama's decision about the invocation, the Rev. Ketcham had a good point here. But on the other hand, the Rev. Ford has some good points here too...

Toys and Toxins

This blog I just discovered had an interesting post on it about testing toys for toxins. Check it out! It's an important conversation for all of us to be having. How do we balance all this?

A Networking Blog

I've started a blog for the purpose of networking. I am hoping to gather together a group of folks in my region who are interested in a public Montessori school for the city in which I reside and work. Now I just have to start spreading the word (always a daunting task at first).

Anyway, if you are curious what that is about, check it out: http://worcestermontessori.blogspot.com/

Montessori Homeschooling Updates and Blog Recommendation

I've been meaning to post this for some time. It is such an *amazing* resource, I just have to share:

http://chasingcheerios.blogspot.com/

I am hoping on Thursday of next week to start the kids' homeschool. There is so much to do to get ready! We need to rearrange bedrooms because we're converting one bedroom into our classroom. This is a much bigger project than it sounds because one of the bedrooms is still being used for unpacking. We need to finish up that unpacking. I also need to build some shelves I bought at Staples, and I need to get some art supplies for the art shelf. After that, it will be fairly simple for a little bit. I have a lot of lessons we have used in the past that I will be putting back out, but I suspect on Thursday and Friday I will introduce just one or two lessons per day, focus on "grace and courtesy," and likely have a shortened work period. The following week will get crazy, though, because I think the kids will need me to step it up a notch if I am going to keep up with their interests. I will need to work on preparing more lessons, or buying them.

After a couple weeks of settling in, I'd like to get some of the "Montessori throughout the home" straightened out. For example, we have a built-in set of drawers in the dining room that we have been planning to use for place settings. These are accessible to the children, and they can easily begin setting the table for meals. But so far, we haven't gotten that organized.

The other thing on my mind is scheduling. I'd like to have three hours of homeschooling time per day. Because M. does the Montessori Center on Wednesdays in the afternoon, we have been scheduling his therapy appointments in the afternoons, so that we can switch the kids nap schedule to mid-morning. This presents two major challenges. First, it interferes with Sunday School. I am thinking at this point that G. and the kids will attend the other UU church in town because they have an earlier worship option. This was actually our original plan, and in many ways better because they have Spirit Play for young kids (a Montessori model Sunday School), but now G. and the kids have attachments in the church I am serving, so it is hard.

The second big challenge is that I have difficulty waking up in the morning. A LOT of difficulty. But if we are going to maintain this schedule, I will need to begin work at 7am. My trouble with waking up isn't something I can "just get over." I can manage for a couple days at one time, but then it is over. My problem seems to be in relationship with my neurological issues, and I have battled it for many, many years. I've even had to quit a job over it. I kept oversleeping, and I knew I needed to quit while I was ahead because I was falling apart. It is that bad, bad enough that I lost income. If this was something I could cure myself of just by proper planning and determination, I would have done it long ago. So the question is, how can this work? I am not sure yet. I'll keep you posted.

Since I Don't Have Time To Blog Right Now

I don't have time to blog right now, so instead I will take the easy out and link you to some of the blogs *I* have been reading.

I hope you'll have some time to visit http://monkeymindonline.blogspot.com/, who has written a couple of thought-provoking posts about Sarah Palin between yesterday and today. I just watched Palin's first speech with Senator McCain. I wasn't impressed, nor did I get the feeling that this is a woman rising to the top as much as a woman being given the opportunity to make a symbolic appearance at the top. That probably sounds harsh. It's a gut-level reaction to the way McCain introduced her, and her speech. I'll need to think about it some more before I can explain it better. It is notable, anyway, however that McCain has already decided recently to cast the VP's role as most importantly checking in with the president daily about his health (um, okay). I am not looking for a VP who plays nurse to the president, nor do I think Obama will be needing a nurse. But that alone brings up another issue with McCain's selection. Palin is just another health-crisis-for-McCain away from presidency if the two get elected. And she's only been a govenor for two years (just enough time to stir up a couple of ethics controversies). McCain has attacked Obama's level of experience, but where would a Palin presidency leave this country? I also had to laugh when she called McCain a threat to "business as usual" in Washington, since as has been pointed out multiple times by various folks, he has been a part of business as usual in Washington for what, thirty years or so.

Even moreso, I hope you'll read this lovely letter to the editor: http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/whidbey/swr/opinion/letters/27226939.html, which Ms. Kitty at http://mskittyssaloonandroadshow.blogspot.com/ posted after reading it in her town's paper.

Shout-Outs

You may have noticed I don't have any links, including links to other blogs, on the sidebar of this blog. Long story...but it is an OCD thing.

Anyway, it seems I at least ought to periodically post some shout-outs to those folks with whom I am keeping in touch. So here is what is up with some of the folks "in the neighborhood."

• My friend Sara introduced me to "flat traveling," an idea with which I immediately fell in love. Check it out: http://learningumbrella.homeschooljournal.net/2008/05/29/flat-traveling/ Turns out, though, it can be a bit of a disappointment in practice if you don't do it with folks you know who actually follow-through. So basically I've decided I need to secure myself a pal for my kidos in each state and elsewhere around the globe...sometime in the next couple of years ;-). Good thing my kids aren't quite old enough for this yet. It's bought me a little time LOL.

• Quinn from one of my parenting boards is worrying about her body, which makes me think of my little girl and whether she'll worry about her body too. Still, it is a big struggle I can relate to and I appreciate Quinn's honesty: http://rainbowmamajourney.blogspot.com/2008/05/i-am-not-beautiful.html

• My mom is introducing me to some fun animation set to music at http://ragtagsf.blogspot.com/. I never got into animation much, but this stuff is beautiful and interesting, and yes, appeals to me.

• The Rev. Ford passed on this artistic depiction of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: http://monkeymindonline.blogspot.com/2008/05/universal-declaration-of-human-rights.html (advance notice: this declaration has thirty articles, so the video is about twenty minutes, but visually really interesting...I'd be interested in seeing artistic spin-offs of any type)

• The Rev. Ketchem is thinking about science and religion: http://mskittyssaloonandroadshow.blogspot.com/2008/05/importance-of-science-to-unitarian.html. I'm looking forward to when she posts her sermon because I love both science and religion, and I too find them closely intertwined in my life.

• The Rev. Ms. Peacebang is doing those new to ordained ministry a great service by sharing more good tips, this time on graveside services: http://www.peacebang.com/2008/05/29/graveside-ceremony/. It's actually an interesting read for *anyone* who might be attending a graveside service and is not experienced in such services. She also posted a book recommendation that sounds really interesting: http://www.peacebang.com/2008/05/29/practicing-resurrection-a-peacebang-review/. Good thing I've been slow to finalize my 8 x 8 in 08 list ;-). Oh yes, and on her other blog, Beauty Tips For Ministers, she is offering a worthwhile reminder universal to any human being to periodically update one's underwear rather than wearing it ragedy ol' andy like I have been lately: http://beautytipsforministers.com/2008/05/25/a-festival-of-inappropriate-sharing-at-the-festival-of-homiletics/

• I continue to pray for Little Warrior. The latest update is here: http://uuminister.blogspot.com/2008/05/just-update.html. I'm also trying to incorporate love through action into my life, and hope to be writing Lizard Eater with some stories soon: http://www.lovethroughaction.blogspot.com/. I encourage you to join me, even if you have no idea who this little kido is. Here is the short story at the top of the blog: "Little Warrior is my daughter. She's almost three and she's fighting cancer for the second time. Friends far and near have asked what they can do. We said, 'Show love through action.' Do a good deed, then let us know. We'll compile these in a book for Little Warrior to show her how love for her made the world a better place." If you want to better understand the idea you can check out: http://uuminister.blogspot.com/2008/05/what-you-can-do.html. Finally, I highly recommend you check out Little Warrior's "Happy Birthday" video. What a cutie: http://lovethroughaction.blogspot.com/2008/05/happy-third-birthday-little-warrior.html

And lastly, some "posting anytime soon?" shout-outs:

• My oldest sister hasn't posted for a little while, probably busy with the end of the school year and travel to VT and all. Last I heard, she was promising tips on moving. In the meantime, if you haven't visited her site (at least not recently), check out her new project, a rainbarrel: http://awfulbrothers.blogspot.com/2008/05/say-say-oh-playmate.html.

• My "little" brother (http://www.sunthroughleaves.blogspot.com/) and his wife (http://www.chickadeescout.blogspot.com/) are probably doing the newlywed bliss/lovebird hide-away time, or maybe they are traveling (I never did ask them about post-wedding plans), but before the wedding my brother did post some thought-provoking conversation starters on polar bears, government, and responsibility. And his wife-- also before the wedding, of course-- has been posting some great photos including of some delicious looking food she and my bro have whipped up and some of the plants in their lives.

• My nephew is apparently too busy learning how to use "the force" lately to post on his blog, but he's a cutie so here's my little auntie brag: http://amazingadventuresofdante.blogspot.com/2008/04/force.html

• My dad is a "weekend poster" and seems to have been too busy with the wedding and related travel, work crunches, etc. to have posted too recently, but I really, really appreciated his post on what a college education should be about: http://colin-quodlibet.blogspot.com/2008/05/what-to-learn-in-college.html. By the way, I heard a piece on NPR about a book discussing and critiquing universities as businesses as much as educational institutions, etc. Sounded interesting.

Completing Sunday with a faith-related post

I stumbled across this blog entry the other day while searching for blogging samples: http://thehanifblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/problem-with-sociological-identity.html

I am curious what those of you who are fellow Unitarian Universalists think about this. It is definitely food for thought, and I haven't yet really fully developed my thoughts about it, but some of the things that came to mind off hand include:

1. The UUA just redesigned its website and is focusing its online material more on those new to the faith. I have noticed some content changes, and I am curious whether the quoted description of the faith is likely to change as well. A change would be consistent with some of the self-study work the UUA has been up to over the last few years. There certainly has been a movement toward greater assumption of the language of faith.

2. I'm not sure if this is any kind of official description, or if it is more a haphazard description that happened to be a visible one on the UUA website. However, it does seem indicative of the lack of clarity inherent in this stage of Unitarian Universalism's history.

This post led me to another discussion of related interest: http://thehanifblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/inclusiveness.html and http://thehanifblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/ia-umbrella.html and http://chalicechick.blogspot.com/2007/07/organization-by-any-other-name.html

My thought is that these conversations have a core issue in common: our clarity of faith. As a faith made up of 90% "converts," I think collectively we are afraid to be clear because it brings up faith-related baggage. The worry seems to be summed up like this "If we clear about who we are, will we somehow end up leaving people out?" As a lifelong UU, I have witnessed plenty of the UUs I grew up with leaving our faith because of the lack of clarity. I am thankful for the self-study happening now among UUs for this exact reason. I think we lose as many folks from our lack of clarity as we might risk losing from a greater degree of clarity about who we are as a people of faith.

Am I making any sense? It is late, so this may be difficult to follow.