I have finally decided to give the Muslim's holy book a good look over. Being who I am, of course, I will be taking notes as I read, and writing up my thoughts afterwards. Maybe it'll become a book. Maybe not. At any rate, I'll post them here as I write them.
I've got a translation of the Quran from http://www.muslim.org/ with commentary from Maulana Muhammed Ali. I think that should be a fairly good representation of their text, not biased towards their detractors and with a genuine wish to make it understandable. So far, I find the commentary useful and the text interesting.
Let's see how long this lasts, and what I come up with in the meantime.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Monday, December 3, 2007
Spanking guidelines
I get the feeling that people who decry spanking of any sort for any reason, who talk about things like brutality and unacceptable punishment, really don't appreciate how hard it is to spank correctly. I don't think they understand how carefully calculated and measured it is, how much easier it is to perform much harsher punishments, like name-calling and other emotionally-damaging attacks. So for those who don't understand how to spank for one reason or another, I present my guidelines.
Do not spank in anger or without decisiveness. Never strike any person in anger. You can't help the mother bear slap of fear, especially with a toddler. That's not likely to do them any real damage. But never actually spank a child without a clear idea of why it is necessary and a cool head.
Do not spank for genuine forgetfulness, for absent-mindedness, or for accidents. I reserve spanking for deliberate disobedience. If he throws a toy in the house, I tell him no. If he gets all excited playing and does it again, I may remove the toy for a while. If I say "Do not throw toys" and he responds by looking at me and throwing another, that is call for a spanking.
Make sure he knows ahead of time how many spanks and what they are for. "One spank for disobeying me, and one spank for spitting at me." That reinforces his sense of fairness, understanding exactly what is deserved and why.
I saved the most important for last. Ensure that the spanking wipes out the offense. Once it is finished, it has done the job of restoring him to good graces. Don't reward him afterwards, but do not withhold hugs and let your voice revert to it's pleasant tone. Treat him as if the offense and punishment has not happened at all. If you are raising him as a Christian, you are teaching the most important spiritual truth in this way; total forgiveness and remission of sins.
I hope my little guideline list has helped you understand how I use spanking for punishment. I was one of the lucky kids who learned how to spank from my own parents. My husband derived similar rules from his own experience. It is useful to keep in mind that what your child learns from your spanking habits will affect the way he punishes his own children, your grandchildren. And grandchildren are perfect, aren't they?
Do not spank in anger or without decisiveness. Never strike any person in anger. You can't help the mother bear slap of fear, especially with a toddler. That's not likely to do them any real damage. But never actually spank a child without a clear idea of why it is necessary and a cool head.
Do not spank for genuine forgetfulness, for absent-mindedness, or for accidents. I reserve spanking for deliberate disobedience. If he throws a toy in the house, I tell him no. If he gets all excited playing and does it again, I may remove the toy for a while. If I say "Do not throw toys" and he responds by looking at me and throwing another, that is call for a spanking.
I had a particular challenge with my son in this area. If he got put to bed early for acting thoroughly tired, he would refuse to pee before bed and then wet the bed. Was he doing it deliberately? Much as I hesitate to decide that, it seemed so. However, I do not feel it is right to spank a child for bed-wetting. How did I deal with it? By making it more of a nuisance to him than was worth. A thorough impromptu shower including a hair-wash, thorough change of clothes and bedding, and answering complaints with "You wet the bed, so we have to make everything clean again."Measure the spanking and spanking tool. I favor hand or wood, the hand because you can better gauge how hard the spanking is, and wood because it is lighter and more flexible, stinging without injuring. A wide wooden spoon is good for this, spreading out the impact. Plastic hurts more, and I don't favor it. How do I measure spankings? This is a carefully administered punishment, not a beating opportunity. Just as I used the inside of my wrist to test his bath temperature, I use my own arm or leg to test the spanking before I deliver it. (You don't have to do this every single time. Just enough to get the feel of whatever you're using.)
Make sure he knows ahead of time how many spanks and what they are for. "One spank for disobeying me, and one spank for spitting at me." That reinforces his sense of fairness, understanding exactly what is deserved and why.
I saved the most important for last. Ensure that the spanking wipes out the offense. Once it is finished, it has done the job of restoring him to good graces. Don't reward him afterwards, but do not withhold hugs and let your voice revert to it's pleasant tone. Treat him as if the offense and punishment has not happened at all. If you are raising him as a Christian, you are teaching the most important spiritual truth in this way; total forgiveness and remission of sins.
I hope my little guideline list has helped you understand how I use spanking for punishment. I was one of the lucky kids who learned how to spank from my own parents. My husband derived similar rules from his own experience. It is useful to keep in mind that what your child learns from your spanking habits will affect the way he punishes his own children, your grandchildren. And grandchildren are perfect, aren't they?
Monday, November 26, 2007
Changes
I'm revving up for December, cleaning, preparing, and doing a bit of renewal as well. My website is getting a complete makeover, and soon I'll be changing the descriptions and purpose of this and its sister blog as well as making it a little easier to find me in other places. So hang on and I'll tell you when it's all set!
But I wanted to peek in and let you know something, in case you're a foreigner or a recently-arrived alien from another planet. You've probably figured out that something big is happening. It isn't so easy to tell exactly what it is.
iVillage.com, for example, is all set up for this 'holiday'. View houses decorated for the holiday. Holiday ideas for cooking. Shop for holiday gifts. New trends in holiday decorations.
At bhg.com, a favorite of mine (probably in part because I consider The definitive cookbook to be the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook), you find a better clue. They actually tell you what's coming up.
It's called Christmas. Make a note.
But I wanted to peek in and let you know something, in case you're a foreigner or a recently-arrived alien from another planet. You've probably figured out that something big is happening. It isn't so easy to tell exactly what it is.
iVillage.com, for example, is all set up for this 'holiday'. View houses decorated for the holiday. Holiday ideas for cooking. Shop for holiday gifts. New trends in holiday decorations.
At bhg.com, a favorite of mine (probably in part because I consider The definitive cookbook to be the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook), you find a better clue. They actually tell you what's coming up.
It's called Christmas. Make a note.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Busy Day Dinner
1 Turkey Carcass
1 cup rice
About 4-6 cups water (estimated)
1 can of peas that are going to go bad soon if they aren't used
So I put the carcass in the crock pot, along with the turkey neck. I don't like to waste parts of the turkey if I can use them! When it was good and soaked and warm, I picked all the meat off with my fingers. Ow! It was hot! But your fingers work MUCH better than a fork.
That left me with water and chicken. Some of the water I put in was saved from when I'd boiled the neck and giblets together in a pot. I just put the neck and water into a container to save for later, and now is later! What do I do with turkey giblets? I eat the liver and give the rest to the cats.
I added the rest of the gravy to make a good broth, and added some chicken boullion and a quarter cup of golden sherry just to make sure it's a good broth. Then I put in the rice and the peas.
I started the carcass heating at around noon, and it's a little after 2:30pm now. Supper is at around 5:30, which should give plenty of time for the rice to be rice and the alcohol to cook out of the broth. It's in a crock pot on high, doing its thing. I shouldn't have to worry about it anymore. Around 5:30 I'll heat up the rest of the rolls from the turkey dinner and serve them with the soup/stew/mash/whatever comes out.
The crock pot shows it's value whenever you are not going to have much time in the afternoon or evening to prepare dinner. It also does if you are going to kind of feed people all day as they go in and out. On Mondays my kid has Children's Choir right around the time that I'm usually cooking. Sometimes my mother brings him and my youngest sister, sometimes I bring him and my youngest sister, and sometimes we go together and chat while they're singing. In the latter two cases, the best meal is one that I can start before I leave and is safe to leave in an empty house. I balk at running the oven when I'm gone. The crock pot, however, is safe.
You can crockpot cheaper cuts of meat because several hours of slow-cooking in fluids will soften up just about anything. If you're doing that, I personally recommend doing it on high to make sure the stuff is heated safely. If you're running it overnight, you probably want it on low.
I love soup in particular in the crock pot because you can start it early and just add stuff whenever you think of it. It'll take a while longer to cook, but it'll get there! As long as you've got enough liquid in there, you can't really burn anything. Meat, rice, barley, certain kinds of beans, just toss a handful in and let it think about soup for a few hours!
As you can guess, I don't cook to recipe so much as I put things together with a creative flair that sometimes goes wrong and often turns out alright. So when I mention what I cook and how, expect a lot of leeway!
1 Turkey Carcass
1 cup rice
About 4-6 cups water (estimated)
1 can of peas that are going to go bad soon if they aren't used
So I put the carcass in the crock pot, along with the turkey neck. I don't like to waste parts of the turkey if I can use them! When it was good and soaked and warm, I picked all the meat off with my fingers. Ow! It was hot! But your fingers work MUCH better than a fork.
That left me with water and chicken. Some of the water I put in was saved from when I'd boiled the neck and giblets together in a pot. I just put the neck and water into a container to save for later, and now is later! What do I do with turkey giblets? I eat the liver and give the rest to the cats.
I added the rest of the gravy to make a good broth, and added some chicken boullion and a quarter cup of golden sherry just to make sure it's a good broth. Then I put in the rice and the peas.
I started the carcass heating at around noon, and it's a little after 2:30pm now. Supper is at around 5:30, which should give plenty of time for the rice to be rice and the alcohol to cook out of the broth. It's in a crock pot on high, doing its thing. I shouldn't have to worry about it anymore. Around 5:30 I'll heat up the rest of the rolls from the turkey dinner and serve them with the soup/stew/mash/whatever comes out.
The crock pot shows it's value whenever you are not going to have much time in the afternoon or evening to prepare dinner. It also does if you are going to kind of feed people all day as they go in and out. On Mondays my kid has Children's Choir right around the time that I'm usually cooking. Sometimes my mother brings him and my youngest sister, sometimes I bring him and my youngest sister, and sometimes we go together and chat while they're singing. In the latter two cases, the best meal is one that I can start before I leave and is safe to leave in an empty house. I balk at running the oven when I'm gone. The crock pot, however, is safe.
You can crockpot cheaper cuts of meat because several hours of slow-cooking in fluids will soften up just about anything. If you're doing that, I personally recommend doing it on high to make sure the stuff is heated safely. If you're running it overnight, you probably want it on low.
I love soup in particular in the crock pot because you can start it early and just add stuff whenever you think of it. It'll take a while longer to cook, but it'll get there! As long as you've got enough liquid in there, you can't really burn anything. Meat, rice, barley, certain kinds of beans, just toss a handful in and let it think about soup for a few hours!
As you can guess, I don't cook to recipe so much as I put things together with a creative flair that sometimes goes wrong and often turns out alright. So when I mention what I cook and how, expect a lot of leeway!
Superclean
Let's see what I can do with my messy kitchen in one day.
First off, I've taken some pictures with what I'm starting out with. This is what happens when a housekeeper gets depressed! Let this be a warning for all of us! I went through a rather dark period just the past month or so, and this weekend I had to stop and shed a lot of undeserved guilt about things that happened years ago. Now, at the beginning of a new month and a new monthly cycle, I'm full of energy and ready to go!
Ok, I started by putting my dishes away and washing the rest. I washed even what would usually go into the dishwasher, because I want them all clean and there isn't enough to make a load. Actually, I started by putting a load of clothes in the laundry and setting the timer for a half hour. Ok, it's 8:20, here I go!
10:30am I pop in to write that I was 'sidetracked' into taking care of all of my overdue cans. One by one I opened them and dumped them into a container that my son carried to the compost each time it was full. Rinsed them and filled up an entire tub. I'm going to have to drop the recyclables at the dump today. This is still kitchen focus, so that's ok!
11:00am Break for lunch.
12pm My pace is going to be slower, but I bet I can still get something done. I'm crockpotting dinner, so I'd better get that going first. I'm going to get the meat off the turkey carcass that we cooked Friday and make a soup. I do that in the crock pot. So far I've taken care of the old cans and thorough-cleaned between the sink and the stove. The stove itself needs a good scrub.
1pm Finish! I thorough-cleaned between the sink and the refrigerator. The stuff in the sink is all new from lunch, which was pasta. I washed out both recycling bins, discovering in the process that the garden hose does in fact spray water when you aren't holding down the handle. So I had to change clothes... In taking care of all those cans, I opened up an entire kitchen shelf that I can use for other things now.
Ok, I admit I'm done for the day. I'll spend the rest of the day dealing with correspondence, taking my son to Children's Choir, making supper, etc. So here's my progress...
It's still going to take another couple of days to really get the kitchen where it should be. This is a good start, though. The crock pot is kind of hiding much of my progress, but it's been made!
First off, I've taken some pictures with what I'm starting out with. This is what happens when a housekeeper gets depressed! Let this be a warning for all of us! I went through a rather dark period just the past month or so, and this weekend I had to stop and shed a lot of undeserved guilt about things that happened years ago. Now, at the beginning of a new month and a new monthly cycle, I'm full of energy and ready to go!
Ok, I started by putting my dishes away and washing the rest. I washed even what would usually go into the dishwasher, because I want them all clean and there isn't enough to make a load. Actually, I started by putting a load of clothes in the laundry and setting the timer for a half hour. Ok, it's 8:20, here I go!
10:30am I pop in to write that I was 'sidetracked' into taking care of all of my overdue cans. One by one I opened them and dumped them into a container that my son carried to the compost each time it was full. Rinsed them and filled up an entire tub. I'm going to have to drop the recyclables at the dump today. This is still kitchen focus, so that's ok!
11:00am Break for lunch.
12pm My pace is going to be slower, but I bet I can still get something done. I'm crockpotting dinner, so I'd better get that going first. I'm going to get the meat off the turkey carcass that we cooked Friday and make a soup. I do that in the crock pot. So far I've taken care of the old cans and thorough-cleaned between the sink and the stove. The stove itself needs a good scrub.
1pm Finish! I thorough-cleaned between the sink and the refrigerator. The stuff in the sink is all new from lunch, which was pasta. I washed out both recycling bins, discovering in the process that the garden hose does in fact spray water when you aren't holding down the handle. So I had to change clothes... In taking care of all those cans, I opened up an entire kitchen shelf that I can use for other things now.
Ok, I admit I'm done for the day. I'll spend the rest of the day dealing with correspondence, taking my son to Children's Choir, making supper, etc. So here's my progress...
It's still going to take another couple of days to really get the kitchen where it should be. This is a good start, though. The crock pot is kind of hiding much of my progress, but it's been made!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
How do these things happen to me?
So I was going to go pick up the kids. My mother drops them off, I pick them up. I had to reset my seat because Husband Big-Legs had driven my car last, and then I headed on out. As I took the last corner of the driveway and pulled to a stop at the street, I heard something in back of me go Scriiiiiiitch..rattle..rattle..thump. My husband had last taken this car to the dump. I figured he left a can or something in the back. No sweat. I pulled out.
Screeech-rattle-rattle-thump-sliiiiide-rattle-thump. I saw something drop off the roof from my rearview mirror and lie still on the road behind me. I hit the brakes. I looked at the little huddle again. "Oh, God. I've killed a cat."
The thing stayed there and I stayed there wondering what to do. "I'd better check it out." So I put the car into reverse and backed up to it. "Is that a cat?" In the increased light from the car being in reverse, I wasn't sure anymore. So I put it in park, put on my flashers, and got out of the car to investigate.
It was a chicken.
"Uh oh, I've killed one of my sister's chickens." But the head was moving about. "Broken both legs, I bet," I thought, and approached the bird, one of two Rhode Island reds in my sister's brood. It rose to its feet and started wandering away. I picked up my pace. It picked up its pace. I tried to grab it, but it ran off into the trees. I stood there, again weighing my options, and finally got back in the car. I had to pick up those kids.
They were out, of course, and came walking right up to the car as I pulled into place. "Sorry I'm late, guys," I said. "I've got a really good reason." My brother looked up as he opened the car door.
"Did you know that you've got... a lot... of frozen bird crap... on your roof?"
"Uh, yeah..." I said wryly, "I figured I might."
Screeech-rattle-rattle-thump-sliiiiide-rattle-thump. I saw something drop off the roof from my rearview mirror and lie still on the road behind me. I hit the brakes. I looked at the little huddle again. "Oh, God. I've killed a cat."
The thing stayed there and I stayed there wondering what to do. "I'd better check it out." So I put the car into reverse and backed up to it. "Is that a cat?" In the increased light from the car being in reverse, I wasn't sure anymore. So I put it in park, put on my flashers, and got out of the car to investigate.
It was a chicken.
"Uh oh, I've killed one of my sister's chickens." But the head was moving about. "Broken both legs, I bet," I thought, and approached the bird, one of two Rhode Island reds in my sister's brood. It rose to its feet and started wandering away. I picked up my pace. It picked up its pace. I tried to grab it, but it ran off into the trees. I stood there, again weighing my options, and finally got back in the car. I had to pick up those kids.
They were out, of course, and came walking right up to the car as I pulled into place. "Sorry I'm late, guys," I said. "I've got a really good reason." My brother looked up as he opened the car door.
"Did you know that you've got... a lot... of frozen bird crap... on your roof?"
"Uh, yeah..." I said wryly, "I figured I might."
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Fashion Bugs
Women claim to dress for men. Men claim that women dress for other women. When you put your clothes on in the morning, for whom are you dressing?
Oh, plenty of women like me (homemaker bloggers) will talk about modesty, and I'm sure everyone's got their tips. Personally, it seem to me that some outfits are immodest for all women, while others are immodest for some and not others depending on body shape and size. Each woman has to develop her own awareness of what she should and should not wear. I'd like to introduce a method to figuring this out, and the main idea behind the method is to consider for whom you are dressing.
This came to my mind because today, this Sunday morning, I am dressing for a small group of 10-year-old girls.
I didn't make this dress for them, I made it for me. I used this pattern, a Simplicity costume pattern.
My particular gown is made up like the yellow flowered dress, only my material is a lavender muslin overlaid with lavender eyelet. The lace trimmings are white eyelet, like the picture, and the trim ribbon is dark purple. I made it because it's pretty and comfortable and I love long skirts and close-fitting bodices.
As I was walking through the church after the morning service one day, I realized that I'd caught the attention of a group of girls. I turned and smiled at them, and their 'leader' told me what they'd all apparently been whispering about.
"We love your dress. We think it's beautiful. It reminds us of 'Felicity'."
Felicity is one of the "American Girl" dolls, her story set in colonial times. I suppose I can see the resemblance.
I did a curtsey and thanked them. :) To me, that was a compliment. They were thrilled, and I hear them every time I wear this dress to church. "Oh! You're wearing your 'Felicity dress'!"
When you're dressing for a small group of 10-year-old girls, you don't wear low-cut shirts or skin-tight jeans. You don't wear skirts with slits up to mid-thigh. What pleases them most is your best princess look, the lovely dresses they so adore filled out as only their Barbies can. And it makes such a good impression on them to see women daring to do so.
Lest you think I'm a skirts-only person, I own and wear jeans and sweatpants as well. I have several t-shirts, including my "shocking" black Epica bandshirt and a few tank tops for summertime. My closet is quite eclectic. But I do love those vintage dresses.
Oh, plenty of women like me (homemaker bloggers) will talk about modesty, and I'm sure everyone's got their tips. Personally, it seem to me that some outfits are immodest for all women, while others are immodest for some and not others depending on body shape and size. Each woman has to develop her own awareness of what she should and should not wear. I'd like to introduce a method to figuring this out, and the main idea behind the method is to consider for whom you are dressing.
This came to my mind because today, this Sunday morning, I am dressing for a small group of 10-year-old girls.
I didn't make this dress for them, I made it for me. I used this pattern, a Simplicity costume pattern.
My particular gown is made up like the yellow flowered dress, only my material is a lavender muslin overlaid with lavender eyelet. The lace trimmings are white eyelet, like the picture, and the trim ribbon is dark purple. I made it because it's pretty and comfortable and I love long skirts and close-fitting bodices.
As I was walking through the church after the morning service one day, I realized that I'd caught the attention of a group of girls. I turned and smiled at them, and their 'leader' told me what they'd all apparently been whispering about.
"We love your dress. We think it's beautiful. It reminds us of 'Felicity'."
Felicity is one of the "American Girl" dolls, her story set in colonial times. I suppose I can see the resemblance.
I did a curtsey and thanked them. :) To me, that was a compliment. They were thrilled, and I hear them every time I wear this dress to church. "Oh! You're wearing your 'Felicity dress'!"
When you're dressing for a small group of 10-year-old girls, you don't wear low-cut shirts or skin-tight jeans. You don't wear skirts with slits up to mid-thigh. What pleases them most is your best princess look, the lovely dresses they so adore filled out as only their Barbies can. And it makes such a good impression on them to see women daring to do so.
Lest you think I'm a skirts-only person, I own and wear jeans and sweatpants as well. I have several t-shirts, including my "shocking" black Epica bandshirt and a few tank tops for summertime. My closet is quite eclectic. But I do love those vintage dresses.
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