Hippiemommy

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  • Christmas Crafting, Part 2

    Two more gifts down! Sorry for the darkness in my pictures. I had to use my iPhone. I have one last big knitting project to finish before Christmas. We’ll see if I can make it in time. Eeeek!

    The first finished gift today is a “Sisters” toy from the Itty Bitty Knits book. It is a reversible toy with two dolls in it. My 7yo asked for it for Christmas.

    Here’s a shot so you can see how it reverses.

    The other project that I finished was a quick man hat for Joe. I really like this pattern. It makes for a great, stretchy, thick hat. I kind of want to steal it for myself.

    If you’re on ravelry, feel free to friend me! I love seeing everyone’s projects 🙂

  • Multi-Generational Learning

    One of the things that I really love about homeschooling is that my kids (and I!) spend the majority of our time learning without the typical hierarchy of age. One important value in our family is that everyone has wisdom to share, regardless of their title or age. This isn’t something that is exclusive to homeschoolers, but I do think (hope?) that the way that our family lives helps to foster this belief.

    Our area offers free hikes for anyone in the community (go socialism! :P) and it makes me smile to see that my kids enjoy it so much. Of course, this is not something restricted to homeschoolers either, but a number of the hikes are held during the school day. We usually see a lot of homeschooling families there, but there are also people from every possible age range in attendance. It is so cool to see my 8-year-old gasp along with the 80-year-olds when a spotted towhee flies overhead. It makes for an instant bond, and they go on to discuss the sounds that the towhee makes. It is beautiful and it enriches both lives for that brief moment.

    I love how being around kids can encourage us to explore ideas outside of our normal scope of interest. We can learn so much from them! This week I learned that rhinos have such a strong sense of smell and such a poor sense of sight that they will charge a butterfly. Seriously… How else would I ever have learned this? It is so fun to be learning together!

    On the other hand, my kids have been hearing a lot about both China during World War 2 and astronomy, since those have been my most recent topics of interest. They’ve found those things interesting when I’ve shared about them. I checked books out from the library on both subjects and we’ve been learning together during the school day.

    I’m often asked how long we’ll homeschool, and I really have no idea. We decide each year whether or not everyone wants to continue forward. However, one thing that I do know is that I am so grateful for the time spent together and the things that we are able to teach one another. Every day is a gift. 🙂

    Note: This article was initially written almost 2 years ago. I just found it in my drafts folder. I’m not sure why I never posted it. The picture at the top of the page is from this past weekend, when my son attended a local free event like the one from my initial post. Two years have passed, but we still love the opportunities just as much!

  • Relationships in the womb

    I’m currently reading (and having a bit of a love-hate relationship with) Reclaiming The Spirituality of Birth.

    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.

  • Christmas crafting

    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!

  • Embracing the change

    …kind of.

    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. 😉

     

  • Maybe I’ll be an astronomer after I retire from midwifery…

    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:

    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. Pluto should definitely not be a planet.
    4. My kids will be learning about astronomy for the rest of our homeschooling year, because I’m now quite intrigued.
    5. 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.
    6. 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.

  • The Mind Jar

    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.

  • With by Skye Jethani

    With
    Reimagining the Way You Relate to God

    By Skye Jethani

    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:

    http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/prepositions-matter

    And now some legaleze:

    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.”

  • Rules for driving in California

    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:

    1. Drivers in the Bay Area put one hand in the 10:00 position on the wheel and the other hand firmly on the horn.
    2. 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)
    3. If in doubt, be aggressive.
    4. Never yield; Yielding shows weakness. See #3.
    5. If a light is not operating correctly, floor it and lay on the horn.
    6. If you need to get on the freeway, expect the entrance to be on the side opposite of what logic would tell you.
    7. 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.

  • Superfoods RX

    Superfoods RX

     

    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.

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