In the “love” category: There is some really interesting research quoted in this book. It has encouraged me to look up some new authors, like Allessandra Piontelli.
Here’s one example of information that I’ve never seen mentioned elsewhere. The author, Benig Mauger, is discussing how babies in the womb develop relationships and socialize.
One twin (a boy) was observed to be consistently more active in the uterine environment than his sister, who generally slept peacefully curled up in her corner of the womb. Every so often he would wake his sister, by stroking the membrane between them, encouraging her to play. She would wake up and the twins would play together in their mother’s womb, moving around behind their respective membranes. They would have gentle boxing matches and tickle one another….(pg. 53)
Isn’t that so cool? Each of my babies have enjoyed kicking and playing with those of us outside of the womb. I think it is really fascinating to consider the way that twins interact in the womb and how much of a baby’s personality is already in place before they are born.
But then, in the “hate” category (and perhaps “hate” is too strong of a word), there is some information in here that is flat-out WRONG. For example, the author says that “the umbilical cord connects the baby to the placenta and within it are two major blood vessels, one taking oxygen to the baby and the other removing all waste products.” (pg. 39) Actually, a typical umbilical cord has 3 vessels — two arteries and one vein. About 1% of babies will have a two vessel cord, but that is not typical. The fact that such a basic fact could be incorrect makes me really cautious about believing anything that the author writes.
I’m going to continue reading it, because the gems in it are really good, but I think that the typos and obvious errors make it especially important to fact-check anything you learn in here. I looked up the information about the twins in utero, and it seems to be accurate.
I have a lot of crafting projects going right now, and I want to share! I’ll post as I finish items.
My most recent finished object is one of the sock monkeys from Itty Bitty Toys. My 1-year-old is obsessed with the sock monkey pattern in there. It is not a traditional sock monkey. You knit the whole thing out of sock yarn. She asks to see the book several times a day, and she will cry if she can’t find the page with the sock monkey on it. I finished this little monkey last night, and I can’t wait for Christmas morning! Squeeeee!
As most of you know, a few months ago my husband’s company was acquired. The new company moved us from Colorado to the San Francisco Bay Area. The deal was certain on a Monday night, and our house was on the market and all of our stuff was moved to the Bay Area by Friday. If you have to move, this part of California is certainly not a bad place to be, so that is the plus side. We have a great house in a beautiful location, and I really like it…. But I’ve still been missing Colorado.
I’ve been feeling so conflicted. I think I’ve resisted embracing California because I don’t want it to seem like a rejection of Colorado. I know… I know… That sounds ridiculous. I think I’ve also been trying to avoid creating any deep friendships, because that seems like it will tie us to the Bay Area. I decided on Thursday night that I need to get over those feelings and start to make some roots here. In the end, I know we’ll be the happiest that way.
As part of an effort to find things to love here, we went to some new places and had a really nice day 🙂 The boys woke up early and went to the beach in San Francisco to watch the lunar eclipse. They said that the moon looked really beautiful over the ocean, and they were able to look through a telescope and see a few planets too. (And, hey! That goes with my recent astronomy obsession, lol.)
This afternoon we went for a hike in the redwoods. I have to admit, there is something really beautiful about big trees. I am such a tree-hugger, and trees make me happy. This particular trail was nestled in an area that looked very middle-earth-y, so that made me think of talking trees. 😉
After our crisp, cool hike, we came home and made homemade hot chocolate with my favorite recipe. I’ll attach my pin to the recipe below. It was awesome (this recipe is fail-proof!), and a perfect end to the day. I am feeling more hopeful that California will hold a special place in our hearts, even if I still intend on moving back to Colorado in a few years. 😉
LOL, OK, not really, but you might think that if you look at my Kindle right now.
For some reason I decided to put both of these books on hold through my library. I had actually checked out How I Killed Pluto… quite a while back (almost a year ago?), when it first came out. It was listed in one of the “new release” emails that I get from the library and sounded interesting. I didn’t get to read it at the time, and I’m glad that I decided to try again, because it was really good.
These two books really complimented each other nicely. In the end, I’ve learned that:
Although the author of the Big Bang book is really REALLY not a fan of Christianity, I don’t think that the Biblical explanation of creation is at all at odds with the Big Bang Theory. In fact, it works far better with the Big Bang Theory than it does with the other major contenders.
The math that goes into cosmology is super fascinating. Warning: I was a math major before I looked at the job possibilities (Do you dream of being an actuary? Anyone? No?) and quickly switched my major to Computer Information Systems. I may find math way more fascinating than most.
Pluto should definitely not be a planet.
My kids will be learning about astronomy for the rest of our homeschooling year, because I’m now quite intrigued.
If you live in Boulder county, go on the planet hikes! I don’t see one on the schedule for December, but keep checking. They are really cool and you get to see the planets fairly close-up for free. After reading the book about Pluto, I really wished that I had gone on more of the hikes in Boulder county.
Astronomers, planetary scientists and cosmologists can be quite witty.
Overall, I give the Big Bang Theory 3 stars (out of 5). The author repeats herself a bit and the book is older (2002), so I had to do some online research once I finished the book to see what changed in the 9 years since it was published. Still, it gave me a good basis for understanding some of the research in the book on Pluto. It wasn’t necessary, but it helped.
I think How I Killed Pluto… is a solid 4 star book. I liked how the author worked parenting discussions into the book, especially since he talked about his wife pumping breastmilk for their daughter and how he taught his daughter baby signs 😉
If, like me, you’re a nerd looking for some slightly scientific reading about our universe, either of these books might be fun to pick up. How I Killed Pluto is more entertaining, but I liked them both.
I’m always up for a crafty project that might possibly also be calming, so I was really excited when I saw several pins for “Mind Jars” on pinterest.
The concept is really simple. It is just a jar with water, glitter, glitter glue and food coloring. When your kids’ minds are feeling a little crazy, they can shake the jar so it is all crazy too. They can then watch as it settles down, and hopefully they do the same. I must admit, it is really soothing to watch. I think I’m enjoying it as much as the kids!
I made ours with silver glitter glue (about 1 tablespoon per cup of warm water) and about half of a jar of blue glitter. I also add blue food coloring. You really can’t go wrong. I wanted mine to swirl for a little longer, so I added more glue to make it a bit thicker. The smaller the glitter, the longer it will float.
It is rare that I read a popular Christian author and see much of anything new. Sadly, the same topics seem to get recycled, repackaged and replayed. I was (very pleasantly) surprised as I read With, because Mr. Jethani gave me the vocabulary to describe so many issues that are common in the church. Until I read this book, I could explain why I disagreed with many of these tactics, but couldn’t pin down the common thread – control and manipulation. The way that he laid it out really impressed me.
Basically, Mr. Jethani describes 4 different ways that we attempt to control the world around us by using God:
life UNDER God – where you seek to control the world by securing God’s blessing via rituals and/or morality
life OVER God – where you use God as a self-help guide… you employ natural laws or divine principles extracted from the Bible to give yourself a sense of control
life FROM God – where you use God to try to acquire wealth, health and popularity so you can insulate yourself from the calamities that happen to others
life FOR God – where you try to extract God’s favor and give meaning to your life through faithful service
Mr. Jethani’s descriptions of how these principles are used in the Western Evangelical culture REALLY made me stop and think. I could see myself (both past and present) in so many of the misguided attempts. I thought of all of the sermons that I’ve heard ENCOURAGING these stances, and my little lightbulb in my head kept turning on as I realized why those attempts don’t work.
For the remainder of the book, Mr. Jethani describes a life WITH God, and what that looks like. Unlike the above attempts to control our world and use God, a life WITH God embraces the truth that control is an illusion. Instead of trying to overcome our fears by seeking more control, life WITH God is when we overcome fear by surrendering control to God.
I “clipped” so many quotes out of this book on my Kindle. I am looking forward to re-reading it, because I know I’ll get even more out of it the second time. I highly recommend this book and happily give it 5-out-of-5 stars 🙂
For fans of InternetMonk, Chaplain Mike recently reviewed With as well:
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.â€
Above: A driver-friendly intersection in San Francisco. Please note that none of these are indicating a U-turn. They are each different roads.
The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. We were sucked out of our life in Colorado and dropped off in Northern California. Since being here, I’ve learned:
Drivers in the Bay Area put one hand in the 10:00 position on the wheel and the other hand firmly on the horn.
Horns should be used for all occasions: Honk when someone goes slower than you’d like; Honk when someone goes faster than you’d like; Honk at pedestrians in a parking lot as you’re driving past (so as to warn them that you are willing to plow them down rather than slow down and wait for them to cross)
If in doubt, be aggressive.
Never yield; Yielding shows weakness. See #3.
If a light is not operating correctly, floor it and lay on the horn.
If you need to get on the freeway, expect the entrance to be on the side opposite of what logic would tell you.
Intersections should include at least 5 different roads.
It probably doesn’t help that our rental van has Alabama license plates (complete with the “Sweet Home” tagline on the top.) I think that makes us look like easy victims.
Luckily, my husband (who, in our former life, once considered honking our horn, but didn’t press hard enough on the wheel because he was concerned about the loud noise), has taken to California driving like a pro. He is cutting people off like the best of them. I think we’ll be OK.
Sometimes I feel like I’m over-read on the topic of nutrition. Despite this, I really like finding new nutrition books. They help me to keep my focus and remind me of why I make the food choices that I do. Granted, I don’t come across too much information that I haven’t read before, but it is still a great way to keep this topic at the front of my mind. I decided to pick up a copy of Superfoods RX after seeing it highly recommended, and I’m really glad that I did.
Superfoods RX profiles 14 foods that “will change your life”. These foods are beans, blueberries, broccoli, oats, oranges, pumpkin, wild salmon, soy, spinach, tea, tomatoes, turkey and walnuts. One of the things that I really appreciate about this book is that it is really more like 14 food categories, rather than 14 individual foods. So, while pumpkin is excellent, the real point of the chapter on pumpkin is to remind you of why orange veggies in general are so important.
In each chapter, Dr. Pratt (an ophthalmologist, btw) describes a superfood, its “sidekicks” (similarly healthy foods), and explains some of the research and benefits of the superfood. I enjoyed reading a chapter or two at a time, and it really did help me to be more mindful about consuming a variety of healthy foods. It is easy to get stuck in a rut, and I liked that this book gave me some gentle nudges to eat several healthy foods that I like, but I don’t always use in my regular rotation.
I really appreciate that he keeps going back to the reasons why you should be getting your nutrition through the whole food and not through supplements. He mentions the synergy of whole foods over and over again, and I think that is a fantastic message.
The main downside of this book for me was his insistence on low/no-fat dairy and his strong opinions against coconut oil. I happen to be a firm believer in the benefits of full-fat, raw dairy and unprocessed coconut oil. I also wouldn’t recommend the use of canola oil, although he does. Additionally, I probably would’ve nixed soy from the superfoods list, but I can appreciate why he came to the conclusion that he did. Each of these things is easy to adjust for your personal convictions, though, and weren’t enough to strongly sway my opinion on the book.
The second half of this book contains recipes, shopping lists and brand recommendations for each of the superfoods. That part of the book could make it worth buying (rather than checking out from the library) if you need some fresh ideas on how to prepare the superfoods. If you don’t live near a Trader Joes then this section will be a bit less helpful, because he is clearly a big fan of their items.
Overall, I really liked this book. I’d recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about the importance of healthy, whole foods. I also think this book is good for those of us who already know why whole foods are important in our diet, but would like a reminder and some fresh motivation for eating our fruits, vegetables and healthy fats.
I’m currently reading The Happiness Project. I’m enjoying it. I kind of like to hear about all of the different things that people adjust in their lives in order to feel happier. I find it particularly fascinating that people often choose to focus on tasks that are the opposite of what other people might choose. For example, some people need to learn to say “yes” more, and others need to learn to say “no” more. Some people need to learn to do one thing at a time, and others need to learn to do everything at once. As I’ve read, I’ve thought a lot about which categories I fall into. I like books that make me think 🙂
Also, I really like reading about the small things that people choose to remember. One of the points of the book is that we need to be intentional about remembering the happy times if we want them to have the maximum benefit. I feel like my last 6 months (since my mom was diagnosed with leukemia) have gone by in a whirl, so I want to be more mindful to experience the great times in the moment AND remember them later.
While reading, I came across this quote from William Edward Hartpole Lecky. I have definitely thought this during the past 6 months.
There are times in the lives of most of us when we would have given all the world to be as we were but yesterday, though that yesterday had passed over us unappreciated and unenjoyed.
No kidding. We need to love and live each day to the fullest, because who knows what tomorrow might bring? I’ve been trying to remember to appreciate each day as it comes, rather than looking forward to the way things might be some day, because that “some day” may not look like I plan.
So, on that note: I’d love to hear what you’re thankful for!
I am so grateful for my family.
My 1-year-old made the shift today from calling me “mama” to calling me “mommy”. It is such a little thing, but it is another step down the road to her growing up. Last night she was teething and woke up… I don’t know… a billion and a half times. Each time she woke up, she said, “MOMMY!” …I won’t lie, I would’ve been perfectly happy with only hearing it once or twice while I was trying to sleep, LOL. Still, though, it made me smile when I was in that half-asleep, half-awake state. I think I was dreaming that she needed me to help her put puzzle pieces together, because the kids and I have been working on a really hard Big Ben puzzle.
Speaking of which, I am very thankful for the time that I’ve gotten to spend this weekend with my older two. They’re really enjoying doing a big puzzle with me. I haven’t done a puzzle in so long, because the last 10 years of my life have been spent with toddlers running around… and toddlers and big puzzles usually don’t mix. I thought my older two would enjoy trying a puzzle, though, so I picked one up on a whim. My husband took our younger two out last night, so my 9-year-old, my 7-year-old and I had a serious puzzling nerd-fest. It was awesome. It reminded me of a time at my Grandma’s house when I was able to join in on a puzzle with the adults. I remember how grown up I felt, and I recognized the same excitement in my kids. Too cute.
Also, while we worked on the puzzle, I had the chance to sit and listen as my kids pondered the greed of world leaders and the sadness of war. They talked a lot about the wars that we’ve studied in history, from the ancient Mesopotamians to current times. I am thankful that I had the chance to soak in their wisdom. I don’t know how I ended up with such smart kids.
this requires our thinking caps…
And, then, my 3-year-old. How could I not be thankful for her? Today, as my older two worked on creative writing assignments for homeschool, she decided to write a story too. Her story was about a quesadilla. I must admit: She did a very good job of writing out the Q, U, E, S (which looks like a Z, but don’t count that against it) and A. It was so cute, watching her slightly wink her right eye, stick her tongue out, and concentrate on drawing the best possible “Q”. I know from experience that it is too easy to forget about these small steps. When I look at my 9-year-old, it is already getting hard to remember the days when he was this small. Sure, I remember the big things, but the day-to-day memories are starting to fade. Thank God for my journals!
Q-U-E-S-A (although it looks more like "Z-Q-U-A-E", LOL)
So… what are you grateful for today? May you have a day that is enjoyed to the fullest! <3
I was just reading about the 21-day yoga challenge on Eat, Live, Run, and I decided that it sounded like a great idea! I always feel better when I’m practicing yoga regularly. Truth be told, I’m a bit of a Zumba addict, so yoga has taken a back seat… I’ve been going to a few yoga classes a month, but I haven’t been as regular with it as I’d like to be.
Anyways, so why 21 days? It is good because it is a small, attainable goal. 21 days is the amount of time that Dr. Maxwell Maltz claimed in his book (in 1960) that it takes to a form a habit, so it is now a popular number to choose. Realistically, the “science” behind that isn’t really backed up today. He arrived at this number because that is about how long it takes people who’ve lost a limb to adjust. In actuality, the latest research points to 66 days being the point at which habits take the deepest root. So, since we aren’t losing limbs here, at least 21 days will give us a good head start on forming a new habit. 😛
Even if you don’t stick with it after the 21 days, regular yoga practice for the next 3 weeks can have a positive impact on everything from your stress and anxiety levels to your sleep and sex life.
The rules of the challenge are that you need to spend at least 5 minutes on your mat for it to count for the day. That’s easy enough!
When I’m practicing at home, I love trying the MANY free yoga podcasts. Here are a few that you might like too:
For my first day of the challenge, I did this overall toning series from Yoga Journal. It is less than half an hour long, so it was a little easier to fit into my day.
English