Thoughts on Proverbs chapter 3

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
~Proverbs 3:5-6

I don't know about you, but for me the above verses are the ones that have been the most memorable in Proverbs chapter 3. Once when I was having a difficult time in college, I actually took my Bible and randomly opened it and pointed to a verse, hoping the Lord would lead me to just what I needed. Where did my finger land? You guessed it, Proverbs 3:5-6. I don't recommend this as a method of Bible study, but the Lord graciously lead me to this verse, which gave me comfort both then and many more times over the years.

Earlier this week I had some quiet time in the morning and I read Proverbs chapter 3 again. The following verses jumped out at me:

Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
~Proverbs 3:27-28

I didn't see a practical application of those verses in my life, but for some reason they jumped off the page at me and I even copied them in the little journal I've started keeping next to my Bible. Well, this morning my practical application arrived. It's a little complicated, but essentially a friend is withholding something I need because of a miscommunication that occurred some time ago, and didn't actually involve me, but another member of my family. Our friend feels that we withheld something from him. A small miscommunication has taken on a life of its own. I hate that there is a stumbling block in this friendship which we hadn't realized or addressed, and that our friend has been hurt. I'm embarrassed to have asked a favor of a friend who felt we had neglected his own request. Mostly, I'm not sure how to tactfully address the situation and resolve it, but I'm thinking I need to look to the other Proverbs 3 verses that caught my attention earlier this week:

Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
~Proverbs 3:3-4

Professional development?

I posted in a Thursday Thirteen that I can't do without my Bissell Steam cleaner. What I didn't realize, is that my life is turning into "I can't do without my Bissell Steam Cleaner on a daily basis." My aunt called me a couple of weeks ago and asked if she could hire me to steam clean her carpets. Her last carpet cleaning experience was so bad that she contacted the Better Business Bureau, and she didn't want a repeat experience. I went to her house the last two Sunday afternoons after church. We had nice visits, and I drank lots of Coke and cleaned the carpet.

Yesterday morning Felicity got sick after breakfast (poor thing!), and I spent my morning steam cleaning our bedroom carpet and my nursing glider/rocker. She slept most of the day, and I thought it was over. This afternoon she was sitting on my lap in front of the computer and threw up all over her, me, the carpet, desk, curtains, . . .everything! Once again, I've spent a chunk of my day cleaning carpet (and even curtains).

I've got some personal projects in the works, which I have to squeeze into what little time is available. My last two posts were written on my husband's laptop while driving to church. I told Bryan recently that I would love to take one of those "professional development" days that public school teachers get. I honestly don't know what they do, but it sounds like a good time to go to a seminar or workshop, get continuing education credits, or just sit around with other teachers and discuss teaching strategies. I would spend a guilt-free day educating me, not the other people running around my house.

It has occurred to me that my "professional development" seems to fall under the category of carpet cleaning. After all, I've now been paid to steam clean carpets, which makes me a professional, doesn't it? *Sigh* I think maybe I'm losing it...

What NOT to do with an IKEA bookcase

Apparently, it is not a good idea to load an IKEA bookcase with the religion category of your personal library, or at least be certain to file the art category – with one of those oversized coffee table titles – beneath it, to catch the religion section when it falls.
See what a good shelf-catcher American Painting turned out to be?
Want to know what that stuff is inside the shelf? Cardboard. I kid you not. Am I going to replace this bookcase with the same one? Yep. I can’t get a bookcase this large and this attractive anywhere else for $100 (and I worked way too hard to get it in the first place). I’ll just be more careful next time. Or buy a few more oversized art books.

 

Friday Night Football

My husband and I did the whole jock/cheerleader scene in school; he was a quarterback, and I was a cheerleader, albeit for rival schools. Homeschool high school football is taking off with a vengeance, but we live too far from the closest team’s home field for it to be a viable option for Hayden, considering all of the practices and the number of people involved when we go anywhere. This summer, however, he was invited to join the marching band that plays at the games. It seems they had one more bass drum than drummer, so Hayden now plays a gorgeous red metallic Pearl drum for the North Georgia Falcons Homeschool football team.

Friday night’s homecoming game was their first night to march. We all went, and the whole family had a blast. One thing I love about homeschooling is that it’s about whole families, without the age-segregated mentality that’s so easy to pick up in the public schools. I’m not trying to slam public schoolers, it’s just easy to develop that mindset when so much of your life is age-segregated. I am a product of the public schools and it took me years to get over the fact that I am a year older than my husband. Anyhoo, (coming in from left field)…

The halftime program was a blast! The band did a Blues Brothers take-off complete with dark sunglasses. I think it was more enjoyable for me since I have no band experience, and therefore there wasn’t any part of my brain critiquing the playing or performance. I’m fascinated by things Christian does on the clarinet and he’s only been playing for three weeks. I would have analyzed the heck out of a cheerleading squad. I was so proud of Hayden out there with his big impressive drum (I always think of the Beatles – did Ringo Starr play a set of Pearl drums?), and I didn’t realize how much I had missed Friday night football games.

WFMW Corona Ointment

I want to tell you about a fabulous first aid product that our family has used for several years: Corona Ointment. If you look at the picture above, you may notice that the Corona ad has a horse, as opposed to say, a child. That's because Corona is marketed for horses, animals, small cattle, and pets. I know I have compared Lily to a dog, and I stick by that - she has carried a leash around for most of the day and we've had to take the jar of dog treats away from her - but this is a great product for cuts, burns, and to prevent scarring on people, too.

Years ago, one of our boys had a facial injury and I was concerned about scarring. A doctor in Texas told me (via email) to try Corona. It contains 50% pharmaceutical grade lanolin, plus antiseptics commonly used in human skin care products. The lanolin keeps the injury moist (it slowly melts into the skin), helps it to heal, and prevents the drying and pulling that contribute to scarring. Corona is great for burn treatment. It also works really well for severly chapped hands in the winter; just coat your hands and knuckles at bedtime, and they'll be better in the morning.

My husband and my oldest son were in the doctor's office last week. When she was telling them that they would need to get a particular ointment, my husband and son both said, "Corona?" She was surprised that they were familiar with it. Both doctors who have recommended it to us have land and horses of their own. Maybe they discovered, from experience, that it works well for people, too. You will probably have to go to a feed or equestrian supply store to find Corona.

Corona Ointment works for me! For other great Works-for-Me Wednesday ideas, go visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer.

Got books?

Katrina at Callapidder Days is sponsoring the Fall into Reading Challenge, which will take place from September 23 - December 21 (during the, you know, fall...). Apparently there are a lot of us with books just waiting to be read; I certainly have them. Dust off your stack, make a list of books that you want to read, even ones you want to read to your kids. On September 21, Katrina will post a Mr. Linky where you can link a "Fall into Reading Challenge" post from your own blog. She's even doing a drawing for a $10 Amazon.com gift card from participants! 

100 Things

I've really come to love blogging and my personal blogging community since I started this in May. To hold with tradition (as much tradition as there can be in something as relatively new as blogging) here is my 100th post, 100 Things About Me. Hopefully I've come up with something to enlighten even my closest friends:

100 Things About Me

1. When I graduated from high school, I wanted to be a psychiatrist. I changed my mind because I didn't want to go through all of the anatomy stuff in med school (I only wanted to analyze brains, not dissect them).
2. When I graduated from college, I wanted to work for a clandestine branch of the government. My interview process was stalled by a major political event, and during that time I realized that what I really wanted to be was a mommy. I could tell you more, but then I'd have to kill you.
   
3. I love Sherlock Holmes. Oh, to be so logical! It's a miracle (and a blessing to the kids) that I didn't try to name one of them after him.
4. I'm a Daddy's girl.
5. My Daddy and I went on lots of motorcycle rides when I was a teenager. We would leave early - and I never have been a morning person - so I would have him use bungee cords to tie me to the backrest in case I fell asleep.
6. My favorite vacation spot: Eureka Springs, Arkansas (preferably at the Crescent Hotel).
7. I attended three different colleges - Dartmouth College, Westark Community College (now University of Arkansas - Fort Smith), and Emory University.
8. I was a Russian major in college.
9. I minored in Soviet Studies, and lacked one course having enough credits for another minor in history.
10. I set the curve in my high school biology class.
11. I was a cheerleader in the 9th and 12th grades, and on drill team in 8th and 11th.
12. I have bowed legs. I was horribly embarrassed by this in school, especially in cheerleading and drill team.
13. I am not superstitious.
14. When my husband and I married, he wanted one child and I wanted three. We have eight.
15. I love surprises. Getting them, giving them, whatever.
16. I was named after a Dallas Cowboys' quarterback (my mom didn't realize it until after the fact). Can you guess which one?
    
17. I am a member of CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professionals Association) seeking certification as a childbirth educator, and hopefully eventually a birth doula.
18. I was good friends with my husband's brother for two years before I met my husband.
19. I am one year and five days older than my husband.
20. I always said I would marry a blue-eyed blonde; my husband has brown hair and green eyes.
21. We were married in Rollins Chapel at Dartmouth College.
    
22. I drove my Daddy's '73 Mustang convertible with a 351 Cleveland engine (all the guys wanted to know what kind of engine I had, so I learned that one immediately) in high school.
23. My high school had open campus for lunch, so we could go out to eat; I usually drove.
24. When we wanted to put the top down on the convertible without messing up our hair too much, we left the windows up and called it "bat wings."
25. My obsession love of gummy bears started in high school. Unfortunately, you couldn't buy them in stores at that time. I bought them by the pound from a candy and nut specialty shop in the mall. I made us late from lunch a lot because I had to run in the mall for gummies.
26. My softball team went to nationals my junior year in high school and we tied for something like 11th place (my dad, the coach, would remember our exact position).
27. I played a mean left field.
28. Every spring, I dream of playing softball again.
29. I think fast pitch is for the birds. Slow pitch is a hitter's game, with much more action. Fast pitch is just a pitcher's game like baseball. My dad always said he could take our girls (slow pitch) team and beat a bunch of boys any day - we were better fielders.
30. I am highly competitive. A baseball coach was giving my son's team the spiel about how they weren't there to win, just to have fun. I looked at my dad and whispered, "What he didn't tell them is that it isn't fun if you don't win." My dad agreed, which is probably where I got it in the first place.
31. Of my eight children, I had three in my twenties and five in my thirties.
32. I have four girls and four boys.
33. Every year on my birthday I wished for a horse while blowing out the candles.
34. As a child, I thought I would grow up to have a daughter named Kathy and a son named Beau; I have neither.
35. I prefer the mountains to the beach.
36. I'm hooked on Smallville. I've watched the first four seasons on DVD, and now I'm watching the fifth season while they re-run it this summer. I've really loved the Lex Luther character, dreading the day when he would have to "go bad," which is happening in the fifth season!
37. I have read Crime and Punishment twice and wish I had time to read it again.
38. I drive a 15-passenger van; I was determined not to buy a white one, which would look like it was just waiting for someone to slap a company logo on the side.
39. Of the ten members of our family, there is only one child who has his "own" birthday. Everyone else has another family member's birthday within six days (there are actually three of us within one six day period).
40. I was president of a homeschool support group for three years.
41. I am told that my first word was "Batman." The old TV series came out the year I was born. When I was in my mid-twenties, they started running the old episodes again and I recorded them for my kids.
42. I have to be completely dressed, with full hair and make-up, before I can "start" my day.
43. I am not afraid of tame, pet store rodents. We've had pet mice, rats, and guinea pigs.
44. In elementary school I always got "S -" in penmanship, meaning it was less than satisfactory. As a result, I used to practice handwriting constantly, "borrowing" letters from greeting cards, or anywhere else I saw one I liked. As a result, I now have fairly elaborate handwriting, and my cousin says I should try to get work addressing wedding invitations. My husband has told me, however, that I write "for myself" and other people can't read it.
    
45. My cousin, Blake, and I used to have foods that we would eat and call "punishment food" when we were kids. This included things like unpopped popcorn, plain lettuce, and Fresca.
46. We tasted our cats' food and let them lick our popsicles.
47. We "published" a newspaper in the attic of my great-aunts' house and sold ads to my dad and granddad's business.
48. We picked blackberries at my great-aunts' house and then sold them door-to-door in their neighborhood. We would go to one older couple's house, sell them blackberries, and then sit down at the table and have them fix them for us with milk and sugar.
49. I don't eat shrimp, or most seafood. I try every now and then, but it makes me queasy. It's a mental thing.
50. I wish I could relive the first time I saw Raising Arizona. That's possibly the most I've ever laughed during a movie.
51. I am tinkering with blog template design at Barefoot Blog Designs; I'm really interested in web design. I have worked with some programs which are becoming outdated, so I'm in the process of learning new ones.
    
52. I have a blog called Baby Basics with interesting articles about pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and newborns.
53. My granddad would always say, "Poor old ______" to the grandkids, and we would fill in the blank with, "Granddad." If you walked up to me now and said, "Poor old," and paused, I would probably say "Granddad" by reflex. I'm conditioned like Pavlov's dog.
    
54. I have only had one epidural and I wouldn't want one again.
55. I get "So, are you going to have any more kids?" a lot.
    
56. I make a great pecan pie.
57. I would love to take ballroom dance and karate lessons.
58. I was a whiz at the Rally X arcade game; I could usually set the high score.
    
59. My ultimate chocolate fix is the molten lava cake at Chili's or hot brownies covered in melted butter.
    
60. My mother was a voice major, my dad had a recording contract at one time; my sister and I can barely carry a tune (but we really want to).
61. I can't whistle.
62. As a child, I always asked if my sister and I were twins (I'm 3 1/2 years older) and if I had naturally curly hair (NOT!). This helps me keep perspective sometimes when I think my kids are crazy.
63. I sewed with my great-grandmother and great-aunts. One of my aunts said that you could always tell which parts of a quilt I had sewn. If I wasn't happy with a row of stitches, I would just sew another one beside it.
64. I named all of my cats Susie, except one named Cinder after a book about a cat who rescued her kittens from a burning building.
65. Now I am allergic to cats.
66. I have never been out of the U.S.
67. I like those online tests that show how many words per minute you can type. I just tried one that said I type 75 words per minute. My mother would be proud.
68. Both of my maternal great-grandmothers had nine children. They had all of the boys first, then all of the girls. Other than one boy sitting in the middle of my four girls, I had all of my boys first and then the girls, also.
69. I still have my original Nancy Drew books, including the Nancy Drew Cookbook.
70. I have the original blue LP of Elvis's Moody Blue.
71. When I'm alone in the car (not often) I drive through McDonald's and get a hot fudge sundae.
72. I'm a peacemaker; I hate arguments, but I'll stick to my guns with an unpopular opinion if I believe in it.
73. I worked for Blockbuster Video during college.
74. 316 is my lucky number.
75. I am a visual learner.
76. My favorite fragrance is Victoria's Secret Love Spell.
77. My mother passed away in 2004 on my birthday.
78. I have a major obsession with clip art, especially photos. One of my favorite things about blogging is using them to enhance a post.
79. I would love a definitive answer as to whether the plurals of acronyms, single capital letters, and numbers should be formed with or without an apostrophe before the "s" (ATMs or ATM's; "Zs" or "Z's"; 7s or 7's?).
    
80. I enjoy painting (not pictures, but walls).
    
81. One of my prized possessions is my OKI color laser printer.
    
82. I have taken thousands of digital photos, but I rarely print them.
83. I have been blessed with really good genes in the weight department. After 8 children, I am within 5 pounds of my high school weight, and it's certainly not from working-out or dieting.
84. I love books, but it's really difficult to go to the library with so many kids. As a result, I have amassed a huge reference library. Our bookcases are divided into categories like history, science, art, religion, homeschooling theory, homeschooling curricula, Russian (language and lit.), and literature (classic and children's).
85. I have read War and Peace; to tell the truth, it didn't make much of an impression on me. I don't remember it. I prefer Dostoevsky to Tolstoy.
86. One of my fondest childhood memories is going to Furr's Cafeteria after church and ordering macaroni and cheese, chopped steak, and apple dumplings.
87. I own over 90 Pampered Chef items.
88. I think of numbers as being masculine or feminine.
89. I have never been in anyone's wedding. Unfortunately, in my mind this is indicative of some huge character flaw which I must possess that prohibits me from being considered bridesmaid material.
90. I cut all of the hair in our house - even the dog's - except mine. Occasionally I'll take one of the girls to get theirs cut if we want to try something new and I can't do it.
    
91. Clowns disturb me.
92. My claim to fame: Carrie Underwood is my cousin; she doesn't know I exist, but her grandfather has been to my house.
93. My favorite childhood toys were three teddy bears: Robbie (named after Robert Redford) was the big one, Panda (an original name) was the middle, and Lolly was the little one. Robbie and Panda are in our basement; I don't know what happened to Lolly.
94. I wanted to name a girl Hastings, but just didn't have the nerve to do it.
    
95. Only two of my kids don't have family names for their middle names.
96. I could never speak Pig Latin.
97. My mother always gave butterfly and Eskimo kisses; my girls like them, too.
98. My kids and I like to have afternoon tea occasionally, although I suspect some of them are just in it for the cookies.
99. I don't drink coffee.
100. I had no idea how incredibly difficult it would be to come up with 100 things!
     

September Birthdays

Since starting school last week, I've gotten behind on lots of other things, including updating the blog. I had two children with birthdays last week, and I would certainly hate for them to look at this blog one day and see that their Mommy had missed their birthdays (especially after blogging about the other two kids' birthdays that we've had since starting this in May).



Clayton turned five last week - FIVE! Here he is with his monkey, and below with part of the Diego toys he picked out for his birthday.







Felicity had a busy week last week, too. Not only did she turn three, but also she started potty-training (yes, I put it off as long as possible)and went to our church Labor Day picnic, where she loved playing on the waterslide.






Clayton and Felicity love getting to watch a recorded episode of Wonder Pets while their brothers and sisters are starting their school days in the morning.

Education, à la Lewis Carroll

. . . said the Mock Turtle with a sigh. `I only took the regular course.'

`What was that?' inquired Alice.

`Reeling and Writhing, of course, to begin with,' the Mock Turtle replied; `and then the different branches of Arithmetic-- Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision.'

`I never heard of "Uglification," Alice ventured to say. `What is it?'

The Gryphon lifted up both its paws in surprise. `What! Never heard of uglifying!' it exclaimed. `You know what to beautify is, I suppose?'

`Yes,' said Alice doubtfully: `it means--to--make--anything-- prettier.'

`Well, then,' the Gryphon went on, `if you don't know what to uglify is, you are a simpleton.'

Alice did not feel encouraged to ask any more questions about it, so she turned to the Mock Turtle, and said `What else had you to learn?'

`Well, there was Mystery,' the Mock Turtle replied, counting off the subjects on his flappers, `--Mystery, ancient and modern, with Seaography: then Drawling--the Drawling-master was an old conger-eel, that used to come once a week: he taught us Drawling, Stretching, and Fainting in Coils.'

`What was that like?' said Alice.

`Well, I can't show it you myself,' the Mock Turtle said: `I'm too stiff. And the Gryphon never learnt it.'

`Hadn't time,' said the Gryphon: `I went to the Classics master, though. He was an old crab, HE was.'

`I never went to him,' the Mock Turtle said with a sigh: `he taught Laughing and Grief, they used to say.'

`So he did, so he did,' said the Gryphon, sighing in his turn; and both creatures hid their faces in their paws.

`And how many hours a day did you do lessons?' said Alice, in a hurry to change the subject.

`Ten hours the first day,' said the Mock Turtle: `nine the next, and so on.'

`What a curious plan!' exclaimed Alice.

`That's the reason they're called lessons,' the Gryphon remarked: `because they lessen from day to day.'

~from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter IX: The Mock Turtle's Story

The Cheering Section

Do you have people in your life that act as your personal cheerleaders, encouraging and uplifting you when you need it most?

One of those people in my life is my cousin, Laura. I received a card in the mail from her today with pictures she took from the trip to Arkansas for our grandmother's funeral. The front of the card had the following message:

In my dream, the
angel shrugged &
said, If we fail
this time, it will be
a failure of imagination

& then she placed the
world gently in the palm
of my hand.

What a perfect message for me now! I attended a three-day conference this weekend for CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professionals Association). One of the last sessions dealt with not giving up on our goals, dividing most endeavors into three "zones": the A Zone (Starting), the B Zone (Struggling), and the C Zone (Succeeding). Our tendency is to want to give up during the B Zone - the difficult part, where all the tough lessons are learned. I'm in a major B Zone right now; I'm in the process of getting certified as a childbirth educator, and I'm in the middle of learning some difficult computer programs, which I need in order to accomplish some other goals. I'm working through roadblocks in both areas. I would really love to just cut to the chase: hold that CBE (childbirth educator) certification; be the master of my (computer) domain, designing web sites with ease (and I have two waiting for me). Oh, I can just taste it . . .

I have some major encouragers in my life. I tell Crew Mom that in the big game of life, she's my head cheerleader. Melissa wants me to build her a website; what a vote of confidence is that! My cousin, Queen Shenaynay, assures me that I am not crazy or alone, the two of us just exhibit some characteristics more typical of the males in our family. I have some friends, both personal and bloggity, who encourage me beyond measure with the comments with which they grace me. Do you have any idea how much you bless when you take the time to leave a comment, when you pray for a (sometimes) total stranger because their need has touched you? Just imagine yourself with a basketful of rose petals which you scatter along your way. Nice, huh? I've had email correspondence with a fellow blogger who brainstorms ideas for helping me with my problems, even though we've never met and she has personal worries of her own. Wow.

I am going to try not to be guilty of too much drive-by blogging - you know, read a post and keep moving without commenting. I do that way too often, or as Felicity would say, I do that "a much." That is my favorite kid phrase of the moment. Instead of a lot of something, Felicity refers to it as "a much," as in, "I want a much of ice cream," or this morning when she first used her potty seat and said she "went a muchy much!" Gotta love it! Blessings to you today!

My Classy Kids

I planned a curriculum shopping trip today to pick up some odds and ends we need. My older kids had music lessons this afternoon, so the plan was to take the younger ones with me to a local homeschool supply company with a large warehouse and play area. After dropping off the older kids and starting on our way, Chloe tells me that she forgot her shoes. At the end of my huge spiel on never leaving home without them, Clayton admits he doesn't have any, either. Home was twenty minutes in the opposite direction, so that wasn't an option if I hoped to buy the books.

Since it's already September, I thought maybe it would be a good time to go ahead and buy their fall tennis shoes (that's sneakers, for you northerners). When we got to Ross, I discovered that Felicity didn't have any shoes, either! She was asleep when we left the house, but I had been assured that her shoes were with us. It is completely against my my standards of what is socially acceptable to take three (actually four, if you count Lily) barefooted kids to any public place other than the pool. I had hoped to cram all of them into a shopping cart, but Ross's carts aren't that big. Instead, two rode in the cart and two walked.

With the absence of a "No shirt, no shoes, no service" sign (do they save those for restaurants?), we entered the store. My goal was to get in and out, with as few people as possible gaping at all those bare feet. The kids asked if they were getting new flip-flops. I told them summer was almost over and we would get new tennis shoes. It was then that they reminded me they already had new ones. Let me interject that I am an incredibly frugal person, the kind who would never buy an unneeded item (like a second pair of tennis shoes) unless it was practically being given away.

At this point, Felicity squealed, "I just farted!" with all the delight of a child who is potty-training and becoming very aware of this sort of thing. This is a word which you will never hear me use; I even had trouble typing it. By then, I was just wishing the floor would open up and swallow me and my barefooted, redneck-acting kids.

We emerged with socks, panties for Felicity (her announcement made me remember she needed more), a much-needed new backpack for Chloe for co-op classes, and a couple of Christmas present ideas; at least the trip wasn't completely in vain. After we got everyone in the car, I made a call to Bryan and realized the book store closed in ten minutes. I guess this means we get to try it again. Maybe next time they'll remember their shoes...

A Tribute to Gary Albero

A Tribute to Gary Albero

Gary Albero was a 39-year-old insurance broker for Aon Corporation, located in the World Trade Center; he was a resident of Emerson, New Jersey; and he was a victim of the terrorist attacks which took the lives of so many on September 11, 2001.

Reading the posts on his memorial at Legacy.com made me cry in sympathy for his family and friends. Gary was a husband and a father. One of his neighbors saw him a week before his death. He shouted, "It's my beautiful wife's 40th birthday!!!" That really gives me insight into the kind of husband he must have been.

I'll let the quotes from his family speak as a testimony to his life:

From his wife:

My husband was my best friend, he loved unconditionally. Gary was a super friendly person and as a result had many friends. He liked people, sports and music. I will always remember Gary as a very happy person who wanted to help people. He will be greatly missed, but his spirit lives on in our son and our hearts. Our loss is heaven's gain.

From his mother:

(Yankee Fan Gary Albero - NYT 11/2/01) It was a wonderful article but it didn't completely capture the essence of the man. From the moment he learned to speak, at a very early age, he was hilarious. When I needed to complete a chore, I would have to turn to my "off" button. When he and his wife purchased their house, he knew everyone in the neighborhood before they moved in. When we moved with me into a new house when he was still in college, I would go to the local shopkeepers, and they woudl say "you must be Mrs. Albero." Gary knew and shared with everyone -- even my description I guess. He was a beloved man. But I want to say for the New York Yankees, he was your biggest fan. When I watched the games on Wednesday and Thursday night, I could see Gary cheering and yelling "yea" and celebrating into the night. I hope wherever he is that he got to enjoy some of your greatest moments.

The following profile was published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on November 2, 2001.

Helping the Unfortunate

Never judge a broker by his collar. Take Gary Albero. He was a good insurance broker: urbane and vigorous, and he could sell. That's what led him to 2 World Trade Center for a breakfast meeting. But it was not the money or the numbers that appealed to him, said his wife, Aracelis. "He liked talking," she said. "He liked people and the job fit him."

Consider the private life of Gary Albero, who was 39 and lived in Emerson, N.J. He often volunteered at a local homeless shelter and sometimes slept there because he was interested in the lives of the homeless. He would come home, put on a white collar and go off to conquer Wall Street.

Gary Albero met a boy some years ago who came from a troubled family. Mr. Albero took him under his wing, took him to ball games and coached him in football.

When it was time for the young man to go off to college, Mr. Albero was there to help pack his belongings and drive him to his dormitory. They hugged; the man gave the boy some money and reminded him that he could be anything he wanted to be.

The Alberos had their own child, a boy, a year and a half ago. "That was the happiest day of his life," Mrs. Albero said.

He was a man who is missed and loved. Friends remember his birthday and post comments on his memorial on that day. May God comfort those who miss him and mourn his loss.

View the entire 2,996 list of participants.

2,996 is a tribute to the victims of 9/11.

On September 11, 2006, 2,996 volunteer bloggers
will join together for a tribute to the victims of 9/11.
Each person will pay tribute to a single victim.

We will honor them by remembering their lives,
and not by remembering their murderers.

Here are my personal memories of this day.

Moonstruck

We went to an outdoor movie viewing tonight, bringing our lawnchairs and blankets and sitting out under the stars. Afterward, walking to our van, I pointed out the big, orange, full moon to my 3-year-old daughter. She looked and said, "We have one of those moons at our house, too."

School Daze

This week, the day after Labor Day, we began our fourteenth year of homeschooling. What a week it's been! Not only did we start schooling within our home, but our outside activities kicked in with a vengeance. Unbelievably, we have squeezed ten music classes, a Keepers at Home meeting, and three hours' worth of co-op classes into the past three days.

I posted earlier about my desire to redeem my time and use it more effectively. I consider our schedule still very much in the tweaking phase, but it seems to be working. I've blocked off one hour of one-on-one time per school-age child (there are four), and 30 minutes of "pre-school" time with my oldest preschooler, which will probably have to be moved since it's scheduled for 8:30 a.m. and he's just not a morning person (and comes by that honestly).

I'm allowing blocks of time for each subject. For instance, instead of doing one page of math a day, do as much as you can within the time allowed. This should enable us to work ahead, since we have one day a week when we are hardly home due to outside classes.

During my one-on-one time for each child, I cover teaching instruction in all subjects. They will do the actual work during the time scheduled for those individual subjects.

We have set up an area with a large dry erase board, table, and bench; this is where I handle individual instruction. The board is wonderful! I wish we'd had one a long time ago. It's great for working math problems. I still prefer the couch for reading, though.

Respect each other's individual time; don't interrupt!

Christian first language arts lesson was a hoot! His example of an interrogative sentence was: "Hell, what's your name?" (he left out the "o" in "hello"). For a sentence which makes a command, he wrote: "Go do you's school." I don't know what kind of brain fog overcame him during the summer, but we are not Yankees!

Hayden asked me to teach him Russian this year for high school foreign language (which actually locks us into at least two years). I have a B.A. in Russian, but I'm more than a little rusty considering I graduated sixteen years ago. I am going to teach him three days a week. We've only done one, but already he says it's his favorite subject. I just hope I can stay a step ahead, refresh my memory, and not disappoint him!

Well, I hope I didn't bore you, but Crew Mom said to give her more scheduling talk!

Friday Night Movies

I love Friday nights! Its the one night of the week when we don't have to worry about work, school, or church in the morning and I can keep my husband up as late as he'll let me. My ideal Friday night is staying up late with my hubby and a bowl of popcorn and watching a good movie.

Some of my favorite Friday night movies aren't big blockbusters, but quirky, lesser-knowns we've discovered. I'll share a few of my picks, and I'd love it if you'd do your own "Friday Night Movies" post and come back here and link it, too.

I'm including the MPAA rating for each movie, and a link to its Netflix listing. I apologize in advance for objectionable content, which unfortunately can be found even in Disney movies nowadays.

Here goes:

1. Legend of 1900 (R) - This movie is about an amazing pianist (Tim Roth) who lives his whole life aboard an ocean liner. The music is fantastic! There is a piano duel scene which I could watch over and over again.
2. The Manchurian Candidate (original 1962 version, PG-13) - Forget the remake. It doesn't matter how many times I watch it, this is still one of the most powerful and suspenseful movies I've ever seen.
3. Waking Ned Devine (PG) - Ned Devine is an Irishman who dies of shock when he wins the lottery. His pals concoct a scheme to collect his winnings.
4. Every Girl Should be Married (unrated) - This is a lesser-known movie from my favorite leading man, Cary Grant. I'll tell you upfront: if you're a feminist, this movie is not for you (see the title). It features Betsy Drake, who would become a future Mrs. Cary Grant (one of four, if memory serves me), trying to hook the man of my her dreams. Unfortunately, I don't think this movie has ever been released on DVD, so you would have to find it VHS. It's worth the effort.
   
5. Moonstruck (PG) - It's hard to call a movie obscure which won three Academy Awards and was nominated for three more, but I just love it. This sweet romantic comedy features Cher, Nicolas Cage, Olympia Dukakis, and Danny Aiello.

There's a handful of Friday night movies for you. Please play and share some of your own!