Monthly Archives: July 2006

Charlotte Mason

Amiable Indeed: the Charlotte Mason Blog Has Begun

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The delightful Amyable of Among Women, the Blog of Virtues, and Haiku of a Homeschooler has taken me up on my suggestion. It gives me immense pleasure to announce the launch of a blog called A Full Life: The Works of Charlotte Mason. Says Amy:

My goal here is to share the wisdom of Charlotte Mason as seen in her
writings, in manageable, “muse-able” sized pieces. For my own sense of
order and sanity, I’ll be going through her six volume “Home Education”
series, in order.

Hurrah! This is just what I had in mind. Now we can add it to our Bloglines subscriptions, and (as Ann said in the comments this morning) get our Daily Dose of Charlotte Mason. What a manageable way to read—or re-read—her books! Brava, Amy! And thank you!

The Cross-Country Move

Question for Military Wives and Others Left Behind

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How do you get your jars open?

Me: "Sure, you can have some juice. Let me just open a new bottle."

Fifteen minutes later, red-faced, sore-wristed, and rassafrassing under my breath: "Um, how about milk."

Note to self: Time to start lifting weights. (Bahahahaha. Like THAT’S going to happen with all this free time!)

We once had a really great jar opener, but I broke it. From overuse. Hmm, maybe it’s time to redeem those ClubMom points for a Bed, Bath, & Beyond gift card.

Grippything

This thing? No help at all.

Family Adventures

Laundering Secrets of the Middle-Class and Only Marginally Famous

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I had to think about whether I was going to reveal this ground-breaking discovery to you, dear readers, but so many of you expressed envy interest in my eight-year hiatus from laundry that I decided it was only fair to pass on the extraordinary Secret to Excellence in Laundering I singlehandedly developed in my very first week back on the job.

Oh, yes, I am not a complete rookie in the Cleaning of Clothing business. There are mountains of freshly washed garments in my hidden past. My laundering experience goes back all the way to high school, when I became a master in the art of folding baggy poly-cotton shirts and knit stirrup pants. It was during the nine months I lived in the hospital with wee Jane that I passed my dryer sheets to Scott, and when he decided to quit actual paying work and become a freelancer, I very graciously allowed him to continue with the lugging of clothes to the laundromat and the scrounging for quarters in the sofa cushions prior to the lugging. Because that’s how nice I am.

But one might expect one’s skills—honed to perfection though they be—to grow rusty during eight years of neglect. Not so in my case. Why, it was on only my second load this week that I made my Startling Discovery, which I shall share with you, my loyal readers, in this sneak preview of the upcoming infomercial that will doubtless make me a millionairess.

For ultra-clean clothing, put garments IN the washer while the wash cycle is running, not on the floor in front of the machine.

You heard me right. Amazing breakthrough, isn’t it? This revolutionary technique will exponientally increase what we laundry experts call "the Clean Factor." The sudsy water in your electronic washtub will whisk all dirt away.

You may thank me now.

How, you ask, did I make this astonishing discovery? (On my infomercial, a guest 70s-era actor will ask this question with very wide eyes. Final casting decisions are still pending. Front-runners: Alison Arngrim and Mike Lookinland.) Well, [Mike or Alison], it was simple. Drawing upon my laundering expertise from previous years, I had followed the manufacturer’s guidelines for commencing a wash cycle. As the tub filled with water, I added liquid detergent in the recommended amount. Next, I sorted our soiled clothing by colors. Selecting the pink-and-red pile for the first round of cleansing, I heaped the clothes on the floor in front of the washing machine as the water continued to pour into the basin.

Housekeeping experts recommend using this wait time to tackle some other minor, short-term task. Accordingly, I did so, finding plenty of tasks with which to occupy my time in other areas of the house. Some time later, my darling daughter Jane passed by the washer and noticed that it was sitting full of sudsy water with the lid open. She called out to report this fact to me. I hollered sweetly and in lilting tones called back to ask her to close the lid, thus allowing the washing machine to enter the next phase of its Cleaning Process.

Some time later, just as the spin cycle was shuddering to a stop, I returned to our Home Laundry Center and investigated the pile of red and pink clothing on the floor in front of the machine. Hmm, I thought, this really does not meet my Very High Standards of Cleanliness in Clothing.

That’s when I had my remarkable idea. Suppose—

(Suspenseful pause)

Alison or Mike: What, Lissa, what?

Melissa Wiley (smiles disarmingly): Do you really want to know?

Studio audience: TELL US, TELL US!!

Melissa Wiley (laughs disingenuously): All right, I’ll tell.

I asked myself: Self, suppose I were to run another wash cycle and PUT THESE CLOTHES INSIDE THE MACHINE. Would it work? Could it be that they would come out cleaner? Is it possible that, as with children, osmosis is not always the most effective method?

And so: I tried it.

Alison or Mike: (gasps)

No, it’s true. And it worked. Those very same clothes came out MANY TIMES CLEANER.

Studio audience: Oooohhhhh!

Alison or Mike: That’s incredible!

Melissa Wiley (modestly): Why yes, yes it is.

Sock
Cut to announcer offering Melissa Wiley’s best-selling book, YOU TOO CAN BE A NOT-SUPERMOM!, for the low low price of $29.95.* And if you ACT NOW! this adorable mateless pink sock will be included, absolutely free.

*Plus shipping and handling, some restrictions apply.

Carnivals

Carnival of Homeschooling

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Unfortunately, this week’s Carnival of Homeschooling hosts, the Nerd Family, are suffering from illness. The carnival has been delayed but will go up as soon as possible. We hope NerdMom is feeling better very soon.

I’ll be hosting next week’s Carnival of Homeschooling right here at The Lilting House. You’ll have until Monday evening to submit a post, but early submissions will be greatly appreciated. EXTREMELY appreciated. As in, I just might name a character in a future book after you, so grateful will I be. I’ve done it before, you know. Not telling who but you know who you are.  Submission details here.

UPDATE: The Carnival is up! Go enjoy! NerdMom, we hope you’re on the mend!

And also! This month’s Homeschool Country Fair is open as well! SO MUCH GOOD STUFF TO READ. Slumber, I hardly knew ye.

Day Planners, Organization

Another Mom Planner Review: The BusyBodyBook

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Okay, you plannerholics, here’s another one to feed your cravings: the BusyBodyBook Organizer by About Your Time. This is a 7×10 spiral bound book (a little larger than the MomAgenda, and not quite as thick) with a pocket on the front and back cover. Its format is a weekly grid with five columns for each day. You could use one column for mom and the others for kids, sort of like the MomAgenda (though laid out quite differently). Or if you’re a homeschooler you could use it as an assignment/lesson books with a column for different subjects.

Here’s a walk-through:

• 2 page spread for birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

• 3 months at a glance. (I love this feature—though the boxes are small, they’re big enough to mark major events like vacations, doctor appointments, and so forth, and I love the idea of seeing a three-month chunk at once.)

• Then the weekly spreads begin: left page is for notes & lists; right page is the weekly grid. The days of the week run down the page; you enter names or topics across in the columns. To use it just for yourself, you could do something like: Appointments, Chores, Errands, Meals, Misc. Or, as I said above, have a column for yourself and one for each kid.

• In the back are several pages for notes, and then a bunch of tear-out To Do lists, which is a nifty feature. In the very back are two pages for addresses (seems intended just for your most frequent contacts, not a full address book) and a bookmark.

The bottom corner of the lefthand notes pages (opposite the weekly grids) has faint photo images for decoration, mostly warm family scenes. I’m not crazy about this feature—I don’t think I’d notice it after the first week or two, but I don’t really want to see strangers smiling up from my planner. Could be just me. Otherwise it’s a nice clean design.

The weeks go Monday through Sunday.

Jane pounced on this one immediately; she sees endless possibilities for filling those grids.

Other planner reviews:
momAgenda
Catholic Woman’s Daily Planner
Small Meadow Press — Circle of Days