Mothers are wonderful, but stop expecting them to be superheroes

The other day, one of my kids picked out a superhero book from the library. It was all about a kid who liked to read superhero comics, until it wasn't, and was all about how his mommy was his biggest superhero, because she somehow did all the things to take care of him, feed him, clean the house, comfort him when he was sad, and allllll the things that a good mom does. At the time, it made me oddly uncomfortable, but I couldn't quite put my finger on the reason why. It was a very positive message about how mothers are amazing. Right?

 

This is a screenshot of a Google search I did for "superhero mom book"

Finally, I realized while in the midst of a conversation with another mom that the thing that bothered me is that you have to have literal super powers to do all the things that that mom was doing. It's the same reason I get uncomfortable on Mother's Day and everyone is saying how amazing I am for being a mom. Let's be real here. I know my flaws. That's not who I am. I wish I could do that much for my kids. I really want to! But I can't do it by myself. And if everyone is going around saying that moms are superheroes, who's going to notice when they're struggling? How are you going to know that you should pitch in, or comfort her? I don't want my kids to see me as a superhero. I want them to know that I love it when they comfort me when I'm sad; that reducing my workload in even a small way means the world to me; and when they help their brother with whatever he's going through (hunger, a boo-boo, boredom), that it makes a difference!

Mother's day 2019

We had a nice quiet Mother's Day here. Lincoln was sick, sick, sick, so after church (Austin stayed home with Lincoln) we just lazed around and spent time together. I took some pictures with the kids, Levi gave me a card, Austin made the meals and also cleaned the kitchen, Cecil gave me a hug and said, "Happy Mother's Day!" and Lincoln gave me the best snuggles all day long (too bad it was because he's sick!).

We had some really nice family time on the couch. Levi has recently finished reading the first Harry Potter book (!!) and watched the movie, so he made a wand for himself and was casting spells on all of us. We took turns being petrified and levitated. Austin joined in and was pretty successful at sabotaging Levi's spells by either blocking them with his hands or saying words almost the same as the ones for the spell, but not quite. When Levi and Cecil working together were finally able to keep him from using his hands to block the spells at the same time Levi was able to say the petrification spell without being messed up, Austin fell down and the boys laughed with joy, and Lincoln even cracked a smile and let out a tiny laugh despite feeling so bad.

Cecil got out our baby doll and Austin had him hold it like a new baby. Cecil was very gentle and careful; it was so cute! Then he wrapped the baby in a blanket and carried it around for a while, placing it on the couch and re-wrapping it at intervals. At one point, he asked for a diaper, which I coached him on putting on the doll but he mostly did it himself. I told him that he was getting good practice in for one day when he's a daddy, and that seemed to make him feel extra special. 

I also mentioned that when the new baby is born, Cecil won't be big enough to change his diaper, but Levi probably could! Levi seemed pretty taken with that idea and wanted to get some practice in immediately, and changed Lincoln's diaper! He even thought to give Lincoln a toy to hold without me saying anything. I was pretty impressed! I don't think Lincoln will cooperate so well in the future, but this time he seemed so taken with the novelty of Levi changing his diaper that he just watched and listened in fascination.

Cecil was pretending the hat was Cappy from Mario Odyssey. That means you can control
whoever's wearing it, even if it's a bad guy!

Poor sick Lincoln showing the camera his nose (I'm not sure why...)

Levi wanted a silly picture! He did smile normally for later pictures, but for some reason my camera had stopped working, so you don't get to see those!

Discussion questions for Kilmeny of the Orchard

So my book club will be discussing Kilmeny of the Orchard at our next meeting. Since I choose the book, I was curious to see what kind of discussion questions were out there for it.

I found none.

So I decided to create some of my own!

Some of the themes, on the surface of the book, are that love conquers all; unyielding pride causes difficulty not just for the prideful one, but also for their loved ones; eugenics; and the beauty of nature and of people with pure hearts.

1. Let's get the ugly one taken care of right now. The book uses an "Italian peasant" as the villain. It really gives no reason for his bad character except his heritage and "otherness." Near the beginning of the book, "good breeding" is referred to several times as an essential trait for a good match. However, in other respects, this book is very progressive for its time. Coeds are discussed in very positive language and are described as just as capable as the men intellectually. This was before WWII and eugenics were very popular. However, according to most eugenicists, people with any major defect were considered unfit, including those who were deaf or "dumb."
What do you think this book shows about the views on eugenics of the time? How does it align with them? How does it refute them?

2. The book goes into great detail about why Eric is such an eligible match: he's educated, handsome, rich, young, well born, popular, and has a promising future ahead of him. However, it seems like Kilmeny's lack of speech is a very real obstacle to their marriage, as many of the characters (David, Eric, Mrs. Williamson, the Gordons, even Kilmeny herself!) point out. Kilmeny has to be essentially perfect in all other ways to make up for it! Today, something as trivial as being mute would hardly stand in the way of two people in love.
Why do you think this was such an issue in this story?
How do you think this book affected the way people thought of eugenics, especially in respect to physically "unfit" people?

3. What of the sin of the parent being brought upon the innocent child? In the book, the consequence is merely fantastical. However, there are real-life applications of this principle.
When have you seen an innocent suffer from the sins of another person, especially a child?
How does knowing that someone's defects may be caused by another person's sins make you act toward them?

4. Nature is heavily featured in the book. Did you relate to the lyrical descriptions of the sunset, the woods, the flowers, or the orchard? Would you like to see the orchard described in the book? Why?

5. How would it make you feel to be loved as wholly as Kilmeny is, to be seen for you are without having to say a word?

6. What would the world be like if you could look into someone's eyes and tell their character, like Eric, David, and Eric's father can when they meet Kilmeny?

7. Given that Neil is unmistakenly the villain, why do you think that Montgomery puts in the tidbit near the end about him selling his own filly to obtain money for his journey?

8. How do you think we should approach books that espouse a different moral system than our own?




Please, if you find a site that includes discussion questions for this book, link to it in the comments! I would love to see what other questions people have to discuss.

Oh Crap! Potty Training: a review

It's been a long time since I reviewed a parenting book, but I really liked this one. I have read (or at least skimmed) one or two other potty training books that I found at my library, but was really disappointed. They had about 5 pages dedicated to how to handle potty training and the rest was... I don't really remember what it was about, but probably amping you up and answering questions.

This one was different. (Yay!)

Oh Crap! Potty Training by Jamie Glowacki

Cons:

I felt really bad about my muddled potty training with Levi. I'm sorry, dude, I had no idea I was doing it wrong. The author really lays it on thick about potty training at the right time, especially before the kid's 3rd birthday and is completely unapologetic. I guess this is a pro just disguised as a con because I felt so bad. However, I really love how adamant the author is about needing to get potty training done within a certain window and what the consequences are for your child if you don't.

Language. It's occasional, but if you're offended by that kind of thing, be forewarned.

I've read better how-to non-fiction books, even parenting books. I would have liked it if this one were a little more scientific, but I'm not sure if there's very much scientific research out there that has been done on potty training besides whatever the diaper companies do, and they're biased.

Pros:

Simple and direct instructions on how to teach your child to use the potty. I felt like the author spelled it out well enough that I could follow her method confidently.

Dedication to the parent's judgment and making sure the parent is committed to potty training once and for all.

Relates potty training to learning any other skill, and reminds us of this throughout the book. 

Emphasizes that learning to use the potty correctly is a life skill and it's more important than getting a head start on other things that people are teaching toddlers these days (eg ABCs, colors, shapes, basic math, etc).

Conveys confidence in any 2-year-old's ability to master potty training. The point is made that if they're smart enough to learn to count, the ABCs, or anything else like that, then they're smart enough to learn to use the potty correctly.

Humor. Again, it can get a little on the potty humor side, but what do you expect from a book called "OH CRAP! POTTY TRAINING"?

Helps you look at potty training from the child's point of view, which helps with any problems that may come up

Encouragement to keep going even through accidents and discouragement. I feel like there is a realistic time schedule set, not the 3 days that I'd like but suspect won't happen (even though she says that's possible, but not every kid will get that). My biggest difficulty the first time through was expecting that if I did it right and at my child's pace, there would be few, if any, accidents.

Overall, as I'm sure you can tell, I liked this book. I have a lot more confidence going into my 2nd potty training having read it.

____________________________________________________

Post potty-training thoughts:

This book helped me understand a LOT more about the way a toddler thinks about potty training, diapers, and bodily functions, haha. I thought the process would take a lot longer than it actually did, because the author prepares you for the longest-case scenario. Also, I think sometimes underwear can be a positive motivator. You want to wear underwear like Mommy, Daddy, and your older sibling(s)? Okay. But you have to keep it clean and dry!

One thing that the book either didn't talk about at all or only very little was siblings and how they'd be affected by potty training. Levi was ultimately EXTREMELY helpful (I can't emphasize it enough. He was amazing), but at the beginning, he didn't know how to help and actually made it harder for Cecil to learn. Some ideas or examples of how potty training with siblings goes down would have been helpful.

My two-year-old was so excited to do his business in the potty (and all the associated stuff with that) that he would only pee or poop a little bit, flush it down, then repeat. Seriously. For at least half an hour at a time, if not more. Thankfully, when we had a discussion about where poop and pee go and gave him some underwear to put on, he is much more efficient with his potty use. Yay!

Cecil did better as soon as we had a talk about where pee and poop goes (in the potty, of course). Before that, most of his accidents were when he was wearing pants, and sometimes he'd ask for pants or a diaper when it was time for him to use the potty. The book was spot on about how pants/underwear feel more like a diaper than otherwise. His other accidents were at night in bed.

Last night was our first all dry night, and he's been wearing underwear today. We've had a couple of outings--our longest yesterday--and he's done well in the van and in public areas. I think I'm safe to say that the hardest part of potty training is over--and amazingly, it took less than a week!

Books I've read lately: August 2015

Recently I have read--among others--these books:

A Home Concealed Woman: the Diaries of Magnolia LeGuin
This book was incredibly interesting! Magnolia was born in northern Georgia in the late 1860's. The diaries were written from about 1900-1913, if I remember correctly. It was fascinating to read about her life! Much of what she wrote about was child bearing and rearing and the mundane duties around the house. I really related to a lot of what she wrote. It was also interesting from a family history point of view to read about a life that was similar in many ways to my predecessors.

Beneath these Waters
This book was based on historical studies done about the people who lived in a particular area on the northern part of the Savannah river, now covered by a lake (Russell Reservoir) made by the construction of a dam just north of Augusta. I got to read about prehistoric inhabitants (Paleo American Indians and more recent American Indians) as well as people that we have more recent records for. I got different perspectives than I've come across previously. I was glad to get a glimpse of what Reconstruction was like in the South, but it wasn't discussed in depth (understandably). I enjoyed the parts about the archaeological excavations and their finding more than the rest of it.

Welcome to Your Child's Brain
All about brain development, organized by subject, not age. It was a very interesting and informative read.

At Home with Pictures
This book has a lot of helpful ideas on how to decorate with pictures. I thought it was comprehensive and gave me a lot of ideas for decorating my own home.

Playful Parenting: my review

This review is for the book Playful Parenting by Lawrence J. Cohen.

I really enjoyed reading and learning from this book. The only thing that really bothered me about it was that the author seemed to think that his way was the only good and proper way to raise children. Considering that my favorite parenting advice is, "read lots of parenting books, take what you like from them, and discard the rest," it's understandable that I don't agree with his disdain of other parenting methods. I think it's valuable to take concepts from several different parenting techniques and use what works best for your family. Going along with that, his section about discipline was a bit confusing. He said don't be harsh but also set limits for the kids. Maybe it's because I'm still new to the whole "playful parenting" thing, but using his methods for setting limits backfired for me, and it was like I hadn't set limits.

Now on to the good stuff! And there's a lot of good stuff.

The playful approach really does minimize or eliminate many conflicts. Here are some examples:

• We were reading scriptures together one night and Levi didn't want to read his verse. I got some of his toys to play out the situation and then he "helped" one of his toys to read the verse.
• Bedtime has been difficult some nights--he's been really clingy on those nights and doesn't want us to leave. Playing using the methods in this book during the day make bedtime easier at night.
• Levi is more affectionate and is more accepting of me comforting him when he's sad.

It has also helped me. One day I woke up with a headache and was just generally cranky all day. I wanted to yell and I only had enough patience for one kid at a time. Levi asked me to play with him, and I had one of the toys be grumpy like me. It was really therapeutic to let my feelings out, and playing them using these techniques was a good way to release those feelings without scaring Levi.

Using the strategies taught in the book has also made playing with Levi more fun than before. I think we both enjoy our time together more.

I really liked how the author focused on connection with children. I agree that a connected child is a happier and better-adjusted child. I also feel that a parent has better odds for passing on their values when they are connected to their children.

He focuses on children's need to be loved, and recognizes it as a very real thing. He also explains that they need to be told in many ways that they are loved.

I also really liked his focus on fathers being involved with their children and specific techniques to help fathers play effectively with their children, so that all can enjoy the play time.

He also encouraged parents to foster compassion in boys and independence in girls, with specific strategies for doing so.

__________________________


I highly recommend this book! 4.5 stars.

With Malice Toward None: A biography of Abraham Lincoln

Recently I've been reading a biography of Abraham Lincoln, and I'm really enjoying it. I've learned that he had depression and that he was incredibly self-conscious of his humble beginnings. Evidently, he hated farm work and manual labor, which was a big factor in him educating himself. He was a very successful lawyer and was well-read on the issues of the times--he read every newspaper he could get his hands on, so he was not limited to just his party's point of view.

I've also learned a lot more about the slave issue leading up to the time of the American Civil War. Many Northerners were opposed to the idea of slavery, but did not want to fight a war over it. Most Northerners were also White supremacists and did not like the idea of freed slaves flocking to the North. Abraham Lincoln was aware of these views, and did not initially make the Civil War a war over slavery even though he was very opposed to slavery and wanted to see it end. Lincoln gradually introduced more and more measures to facilitate the emancipation of the slaves to help the American people get used to the idea.

The Emancipation Proclamation didn't come along until January of 1863, two years after the Confederacy was formed. It also only freed the slaves in the Confederate states; the people in the slave states still part of the Union were still permitted to retain ownership of the people enslaved at the time. The 13th Amendment to the Constitution--freeing all slaves everywhere in the US--was adopted in December of 1865, several months after the end of the war, and practically three years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

The Union also experienced poor military leadership until about 1864, only a year before the end of the war. Prior to that time, the Northern generals consistently fought a defensive war, successfully repelling all of the Southern forays into Union land, but never pursuing Southerners into their lands, even though the Northern armies had better weapons and more men.

I enjoyed the biography from start to finish. I enjoyed the new information I got as I read it. Although it did not read like a novel (how many accurate biographies do?), it did not consist solely of dry, uninteresting facts. The biography itself is called "With Malice Toward None: The Life of Abraham Lincoln" by Stephen B. Oates. It comes highly recommended!

Recent reads

I haven't made a list of books I've read recently in a while, so here's a new list! It's definitely NOT all-inclusive; I don't remember all of the books I've read since my last "Books I've read recently" post.

Fiction:
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede (loved it!)
Across the Great Barrier by Patricia C. Wrede
The Far West by Patricia C. Wrede
Golden by Cameron Dokey (would recommend!)
The Storyteller by Cameron Dokey
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (too violent)
Alcatraz and the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale (meh)
Princess Academy: Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale


Non-fiction:
Queen of Scots : the true life of Mary Stuart by J. A. (John Alexander) Guy
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson
Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu by Laurence Bergreen
To the Rescue: the Biography of Thomas S. Monson by Heidi S. Swinton
Life's Lessons Learned by Dallin H. Oaks
Yearning for the Living God by F. Enzio Busche

I highly recommend all of the non-fiction books listed above. They were all very informative, and many were inspiring (I think you can guess which ones).

I also tried to read some biographies for John Taylor, but neither was what I was looking for. I am open to suggestions!

Want to read:
Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times by H. W. Brands
Glimpses into the life and heart of Marjorie Pay Hinckley
a biography of Pearl S. Buck
quality biographies on all Church presidents

Dora's Decision

Well, here's another 30 days of creative writing piece. The prompt for this piece was "A story that takes place pre-1950". Since I had already done that, I thought it would be fun to continue that story, but set it several years later, when Dora has had a chance to learn to stand up to her brother. She has found a unorthodox way to stand up for herself, but it fits her personality.

Dora’s Decision

By Katie Whipple

Ralph looked at Dora tenderly. “Will you?” he simply asked.

Dora had been waiting for this question for weeks. She and Ralph had been courting since she was seventeen, and they had grown very attached. She thought back to just yesterday, when her brother Davy had brought up the subject.

“Hey Dora,” he’d said, “You gonna marry that Ralph Andrews?”

“I don’t know,” was her practical reply.

“What do you mean, you don’t know? The two of you’ve been courting for ever so long.”

“I mean, he hasn’t asked me, and I can’t be certain that he will, so no, I don’t know if I’m going to marry him.”

Davy looked at her around the cow he was milking. They had grown closer over the years as the two had matured. As a consequence, they had also overcome many of their differences. The twins still disagreed on many things, but they enjoyed each other’s company and were able to disagree peacefully when they did disagree. Davy thought that Dora deserved better than Ralph Andrews, and had told her so on several occasions. Ralph was kind of scrawny and seemed rather dull to Davy.

He sighed. “You want him to ask you, don’t you?”

“Yes, I think so.” The romantic look in Dora’s eyes worried Davy. “What do you see in a man like that?” he said. “Why not go after a man like Rob MacPherson? He seems to like you, he’s clever, and he’s the most sought-after man in the whole county!”

“Oh, sure, but he also thinks it funny to hold his dog up by the back legs while watching the poor thing try to right himself. I don’t know—I just dislike him. I’m not sure exactly what, but something about him puts me off. Of course he’s always civil to me, but he’s downright disrespectful to his hired hands! Ralph, on the other hand—he may seem boring to you and Anne, but he’s sweet, and kind, and thoughtful. Did you know that yesterday he was late coming to call on me because when he was at the store, he let every woman and child in line in front of him? He sure did. And he helps his mother in her little garden, because she’s getting up in years and can’t manage it as well. I'd pick Ralph over Rob ANY day.”

“Well, I think you’re just afraid that you’re going to be an old maid,” Davy asserted.

“Think what you like. I still like Ralph best.” Dora looked at her brother thoughtfully. “Thank you for your concern, though,” and she smiled. Davy still tried her patience, but now he did it more in concern for her well-being, and not to play tricks. She changed the subject, and they headed back to the house.

· · · · · · 

“Will you?” Ralph had asked.

Dora considered other conversations of unsolicited opinions from her other loved ones—Marilla had told Dora that she could marry whomever she liked. Anne—still Dora’s idol—had hinted that Ralph was not very bright and that Dora would regret a decision to marry someone from the purely practical Andrews family. Davy thought a snappier man was more suitable for his only sister. Mrs. Lynde had also put in her two cents worth, of course. “All of the Andrews are very good, sensible folk. You’ll do well to get Ralph if you can.”

Dora cared about their desires. She hated making other people unhappy, but the others didn’t really understand what was really best for her—except for Mrs. Lynde, perhaps, but she always managed to give advice in the most disagreeable way possible, in a way that made the one wish to go against her advice. In this way, Marilla was the only one who had truly not influenced Dora to refuse Ralph.

Dora looked up at Ralph, took a deep breath, and said, “I will!”

· · · · · · 

Anne looked up from the letter she had just received from Dora. It was full of the happenings of Green Gables with a very concise and a very typical Dora statement to finish it off, “Ralph Andrews has asked me to be his wife, and I have accepted. We are to be married in October.”

“Well, Gilbert, it looks as if your prophecy came true for our little Dora—the poor thing is afraid of becoming an old maid. She has gone and accepted Ralph Andrews. The wedding is set for October.”

Gilbert looked up from his paper. “What did she say?”

Anne quoted the line from Dora's letter. “It’s just like her, don’t you think—to bring tidings of her engagement in such a mundane manner, full of understatement and devoid of any emotion? None of this "frivolous" gushing over her intended like most girls her age do. She is a sweet thing, though, and I hope she will be happy.”

· · · · · · 

Dora and Ralph sat under the blossoming apple tree in the Green Gables orchard. The two had been making plans for their lives together after their wedding, but had been silent for some time now. Ralph’s arm was around Dora’s shoulders, and could hardly have looked more pleased with himself. Dora looked up at him fondly, and her heart was filled with love for him that could not and would not be put into words, no matter how many times she tried.

Dora of Green Gables

Austin and I recently started a 30-day creative writing challenge. We're going to take much longer than 30 days in the process, but I thought you might be interested in what I have written. I won't post everything that I do, just the ones that I liked. I'd love to get some feedback from you on what you think of what I've written!

This particular story is from day 2, "write a fan fiction." I've always been a fan of Anne of Green Gables and I've always felt that poor Dora (from Anne of Avonlea) was never given the benefit of the doubt. In the series, she's portrayed as a perfectly behaved but incredibly boring girl. This is my attempt to explain a little bit about why she was the way she was.

Dora of Green Gables

Davy gleefully shaped another mud pie with the mud from the pig pen. Dora could tell that he was enjoying it, and wished she could go and play, too, but Marilla would be upset if she got her dress dirty. “Boys get to have all the fun!” she thought. Her twin brother Davy always got away with all of his shenanigans, no matter how bad he’d been. Any time Dora did something that was out of line with the adults’ code of conduct, she got a good talking-to, which cowed her for at least the next month—whereas Davy could care less about sermons and just went right back to whatever he was doing before the lecture. Sometimes he’d try to stop, but it would never last longer than a day or two. Dora sighed. That was probably why Davy got away with things and she didn’t—Davy just didn’t think the consequences were all that bad.

“Dora! Come help me make pies!”

Oh, it was tempting! Mud pies were just the thing for a slow Sunday afternoon. But if she did—no. She wouldn’t even consider it.

“No, Davy, I’ll get my dress dirty. I can’t.”

“Aw, come on! They’re bully pies! You can make them look like whatever you want. Look! This one’s an apple pie.”

Dora came closer, and saw that Davy had made one of his mud pies to look like the top of an apple pie, with criss-cross lines to look like the interwoven dough. Dora thought if she tried, she’d be able to make one just as good, and maybe even better. An idea popped into her head of how she could ripple the edges to make it look more like a real pie.

“No, Davy! I can’t! Marilla will be mad if I ruin my dress!”

“Marilla shmarilla!” However, Davy knew he’d lost the argument here. Dora was such a wuss whenever she thought she might get in trouble. He decided to change tactics from persuasion to revenge—how dare she be more afraid of Marilla than of Davy himself?—and said, “Fine! If you’re so high and mighty, try to keep your dress clean while walking the pigpen fence!”

Dora’s eyes widened. “I couldn’t do that!”

“Ha! Fraidy-cat! Fraidy-cat! You’re so scared of a little mud. What if I came and wiped my hands on your dress? Would you be afraid then?” Davy started to approach Dora, with his muddy hands outstretched.

Dora backed away a little, and said, “I’m not a fraidy-cat! I just don’t want to walk the fence.”

“Yeah? Well why don’t you want to walk the fence?”

“I just don’t want to.”

“Fraidy-cat!”

“Fine! I’m not afraid to walk the fence!” and Dora proceeded to mount the fence.

Once she was on top, Dora immediately regretted her decision. Davy always convinced her to do imprudent things. “Well, here goes nothing,” she thought, and gingerly put one foot in front of the other on the fence rail. Dora carefully raised her arms for balance, and took another step. So far so good. Her heart was pounding. What if she fell? The ground was pretty close, but if she landed on the wrong body part, it could really hurt! Dora took a few more steps. Maybe she could do this after all!

Just as Dora was gaining confidence, Davy yelled, “Woo-yeah, go Dora!” which surprised Dora so much that she jumped—not a lot, but just enough to move her enough off-center that she started to fall. Dora flailed her arms, frantically trying to re-gain her balance, but the damage was done. Dora’s feet slipped off the slender rail and suddenly she was covered in mud. She was conscious of Davy’s laughter, but she couldn’t join him. Davy had conned her into his mischief again. Everybody would be so disappointed in her. She didn’t know how she could bear it!

All day Dora had worked hard all day to keep herself presentable. She never spoke without being spoken to first, sat still during church, ate the food put in front of her, said please and thank you, and worked especially hard to keep her dress and face clean. Davy didn’t even try. She was afraid that if she didn’t behave well to cancel out Davy’s mischief, the two would have to change homes again. It was only their first week at Green Gables, and she was anxious to make a good impression, and now Davy had ruined everything. Dora burst into tears.

Davy stopped laughing and looked at her strangely. “Don’t cry, Dora. That was a bully fall. You should have seen yourself—with your arms waving around and the look on your face—oh, man, I couldn’t help it! You just looked so darn funny!”

The pig chose that moment to run over Dora’s dress, and she sobbed all the harder.

Between sobs, Dora managed to choke out that nothing could make up for her dress being ruined in the mud and for how mad Marilla would be when she saw Dora’s dress.

“A little bit of mud can’t hurt—I’ll rinse you off under the pump, and it’ll make you as good as new. Don’t worry, I do it all the time.”

Dora looked at him doubtfully, but figured that the water might wash off some of the mud. She followed him to the pump and meekly waited for her shower. Davy energetically worked the pump, and Dora was suddenly soaked by a gush of ice-cold water. Some of the mud came off, but not much. Davy kept working the pump, but to no avail. Finally, Dora gave up and told him to stop. She looked at her dress again and realized that her sash and shoes were now spoiled by the water. She started crying again. Would nothing go right for her?

Davy suggested that the dress would be okay if she just stood in the sun and let it dry, but she was too disappointed in him to follow his advice any more today. Dora walked to the house and into the dining room, where Marilla, Anne, and all of the guests from the Aid society were having tea. Could there have been a more humiliating time to fall in the mud? Marilla looked shocked. So did Anne—Anne, who Dora already looked up to and from whom she yearned approval. The members of the Aid society looked like they couldn’t wait for her to leave so they could gossip about her and what had happened.

Dora was so ashamed that they all had to see her like this, but Marilla was kind and took her up to the bedroom for clean clothes. After hearing Dora’s explanation, Marilla didn’t have the heart to discipline the poor child, and tea with the Aid society went on downstairs without them.

· · · · · ·

That night, Dora laid in bed, thinking about the day. Davy had been punished, but Dora didn’t want punishment for Davy. Dora wanted to be able to stand up to him on her own, without being intimidated by his taunts. A plan started to hatch in her mind. It would take a long time—maybe even years—but Dora was determined that one day, she would have the courage to stand up for herself whenever she wanted to.

The End

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I wrote a sequel! Check it out here.

Book review(s): Anne of Green Gables series

Alrighty, in a recent post, I mentioned how I had just finished reading all the Anne of Green Gables books for the second time. The post focused on the last book, but I wanted to list the other books and give a little blurb on my opinion of each.

Anne of Green Gables - LOVE. Anne is so much fun and she tries so hard but makes mistakes anyway. I think this is a big reason so many people love these books.

Anne of Avonlea - Ditto. These first two books are easy to love.

Anne of the Island - I love the romance in this one, and how Anne learns so much about herself.

Anne of Windy Poplars - Not as good. This books was more disjointed (there were a lot of .short stories unrelated to the main story) and had a lot of negativism in it.

Anne's House of Dreams - This one was good, but kind of boring. One of the characters did have depression and I liked reading about how Anne learned to relate to that character; it helped me to understand people who have depression better.

Anne of Ingleside - Ditto to Anne of Windy Poplars, except worse. There was a main character who just spouted unhappiness, Anne's kids had negative experiences, and Anne was worried that Gilbert didn't love her for pretty much the whole book. Everything was eventually resolved, but I wonder if Montgomery really wanted to end the book like that, or if she was just trying to make her readers happy?

Rainbow Valley - Lots of fun! This book is more like the original books, but this time it's Anne's kids and their friends who get into scrapes. It's actually more about her kids' friends and their family. I think I liked Anne of Green Gables more because it focused on just one person, but this was still a really fun read!

Rilla of Ingleside - I really enjoyed this book. It's a much more mature book than Anne of Green Gables because it focuses on how WWI changed life in Canada, and more especially how it changed Anne's daughter Rilla from a frivolous girl into a responsible and caring woman. I feel like my world was expanded by reading this book. I wrote another post about this book.

Rilla of Ingleside and World War I

Wow.

I just finished reading the Anne of Green Gables series. There are eight books in the series, and I've read the first three many, many times. The first time I read through the latter five books, however, I thought they were all incredibly boring and not worth my time. I was probably around 9 or 10 when I finished the last book. Since then, I've grown and matured and can appreciate more things in life.

The two last books in the Anne of Green Gables series, and especially the last one (Rilla of Ingleside) are really good. The last book takes place during World War I. I haven't read any novels or accounts about either World War--I just learned the cold hard facts and not much else. Rilla of Ingleside made it real to me. These were real people; they lost their sons, brothers, husbands, and fathers. I never realized the agony of wartime on the home front, where everyone was physically safe but feared for their loved ones. I knew that the World Wars changed lives, but I didn't feel it. Now I do.

If you want to stretch yourself a little and expand your vision, read this book; read Rilla of Ingleside. Read it not just with a desire to be entertained, but also with empathy for the experiences real people went through that provided the foundation for this novel.

Ugh-Books for Adults

So, seriously, do ALL novels written for adults have to have some sort of allusion to characters having sex (and how they're so casual about it) every 30 pages?! And then every 70 pages or so have a sex scene? A sex scene with intimate details I'd rather not read about? Really??? I know sex scenes have the reputation for being good for business and sales, but really. REALLY. This is why I don't read contemporary books from the adult general fiction section. Too bad for me that sometimes I get tired of the stuff aimed at people 10 years younger than me and try to read something aimed at my age group. Too bad that so much of the nonfiction that is aimed at my demographic is boring and hard to get through and I'd like a little bit of fiction. Too bad. Maybe I should just "get over myself" and read that trash anyway. UGH.


If you like that kind of stuff, fine. Or if you can read the book just for its other content, fine. I'm judging the books, not you. Just please--don't ask me to enjoy these books and don't tell me that I'm somehow less cultured or need to grow up because I can't bear to read them. And don't make me feel bad because you feel bad because I feel bad about the books that you enjoy. Everyone's different. So there.

"Positive Discipline": My take

I recently read a book called Positive Discipline. It is, of course, about how to discipline positively. The book focuses on parent-child relationships and teacher-student relationships. I wanted to remember what I liked and didn't like about it, so here's a quick run-down:

Liked:

• Detailed information on how to hold a family council (or family meeting, as the book calls them) or a class council.
• The idea that "kids these days" are less well-behaved and are more "sassy" than kids 50 years ago because kids no longer have adult models of submission and obedience. Women no longer submit to their husbands the way they used to (thank goodness!), and "it is difficult to find anyone who is willing to accept an inferior, submissive role in life."The author states that it's great that there are so many more freedoms now than 50 (or 60 or more) years ago, and it's wonderful that our children are growing up in this world with so many freedoms. However, parents need to take up the slack.
• Here the author reviews 3 kinds of discipline: controlling, permissive, and "positive" discipline.

• Getting children to cooperate by allowing them to be part of the decision on what the consequence should be
• Not punishing children, but disciplining them. If you punish a child, they are humiliated. If you discipline a child, the child experiences natural or logical consequences that helps them to stop behaving poorly. Sometimes the child enjoys going through with these consequences (e.g. if sent to his/her room, the child may enjoy playing with toys while there. That's ok).
• Information on the benefits of a "cooling-off" period. 
• The idea that children who misbehave are misbehaving to achieve a goal--whether they know it or not. The primary goal is to achieve belonging and significance. Secondary goals (to acheive the primary goal) include:
• Attention
• Power
• Revenge
• Assumed inadequacy (this isn't really a goal, but the author asserts that when children are suffering from assumed inadequacy, they think something like, "I do not feel that it is possible for me to belong and have significance, so I will give up and hope people leave me alone."
• How encouragement is different from praise
• True stories were used to illustrate concepts

Disliked:

• Didn't really talk about children who are well-behaved and perform well but need more attention. Although this is a book about discipline, there were several places that I think it would have been useful to mention that some children who are obedient and appear to be happy need to acheive belonging and significance just as much as their misbehaving counterparts.
• The book was written in the 1980's. It's a little outdated.
• You have to work to get through the book.

Overall, it was a really helpful book. I really liked the ideas presented in it and would like to review it again in a few years to refresh that part about family councils. I'd also like to review the chapter on mistaken goals, because it had some good stuff about how to recognize and deal with each mistaken goal.

An unusual post for me...

I'm not really one to do these posts. I'll give my reason for doing this one near the end. Here goes --

It's a game!

Rules:
The five rules of the game are:
1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
2. Answer the 11 questions the nominator asked.
3. Create 11 questions for your nominees to answer.
4. Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
5. No tag backs

Things about me:

1. I'm a mom. My son is almost a year old, and that's amazing to me.
2. My husband is my very bestest most favoritest friend!
3. My favorite pastime is probably reading
4. I love to be outdoors
5. I love my family SO MUCH (the one I live with as well as the one I grew up with)
6. I am going to break the rules of this game.
7. I really enjoy cooking, but I'm not super comfortable with baking yet.
8. I like living close enough to places to be able to walk to them (the park, church, the store, the library, etc. right now my location is perfect for that!)
9. I love playing games with my little Levi boy :) His favorite is when he drums my tummy and I "laugh" uncontrollably. Mine is playing peek-a-boo with a blanket over his head.
10. I really like playing hostess. I just wish there weren't so many dishes at the end!
11. I think family history work is really cool, and I'm trying to get in to it. I even started a blog about it! That blog is new and struggling for now, but I plan on adding SO many cool new posts to it and making it a true resource to my family.

__________________________________________________


Here are the questions for me. It was specified that why I feel a certain way is always a desired part of the answer I give, so I'll try to go a little more in-depth on these:

1. How did you come to blog? Easy! Just look at my previous post about it. Also, it's fun to keep family and friends up-to-date on what I'm doing. I also love the feeling that people are actually interested in my opinions and past experiences. It's also a kind of online journal, even though I keep a separate journal for my personal use. It's great to have these things written down where they are easy to access.

2. What is/are your favorite book/books? Oh man. I don't think I can have a favorite book. I think I'll go by genres:

Classic: Little Women. Why? Not only does it have a great story, but it has had a big influence on who I've become. I learned from that book that it's possible to love someone without being in love with that someone, and that it's more important to be truthful about those feelings than to have money, make someone else happy, or fit with society's norms. I also love that book because even though the main characters are trying so hard to be good, contributing members of society, they are also incredibly human. They have faults, and they know it, but they lean on good examples and learn to overcome their faults.

Fantasy: Probably a tie between Ella Enchanted and Princess Academy. And probably so many others.... Howl's Moving Castle for one. The first is a sweet little romance that is just so unpretentious and innocent. The second I love because it teaches so many truths: the Prince isn't always what you imagined, even if he is nice, and sometimes people are different from what they seem at the first impression. It also, of course, has a great story. Howl's Moving Castle, the third in this list, I love because it takes the traditional fairy tale and turns it on its head. All three of these books have two things in common: They are directed at children/teens and the characters are fleshed out and real. They have insecurities and strengths. And more great books keep coming into my head, like the Tiffany Aching series by Terry Pratchett, Goose Girl by Shannon Hale ... the list could go on. There are so many!

Mystery: Probably The Boxcar Children or The Hardy Boys. However, I don't really have a taste for mystery in general, so these aren't really at the top of my overall list.

Non-Fiction: I don't think I have a _favorite_ in this area yet, but I really liked Louisa May Alcott: The Woman behind Little Women by Harriet Reisen. It was really in-depth and my internal truth-ticker didn't go off while I was reading it. I've also been really interested in Louisa May Alcott ever since I first read Little Women when I was little.

Popular: I know it's been out for a long time, but I really loved A Walk to Remember. The movie's great, but doesn't really do the book justice.

3. Who do you miss being around? Oh, this one's easy, too. My family! Thankfully I have three siblings here in Provo, but I still miss everyone else. Nothing beats late-night conversations with my sisters, Laura laughing about something silly someone said, Becky and Nathan knowing everything, Heidi being snarky, Renee giving good advice, Hannah enjoying the fun, Rachel doing everything for everybody, Seth's uncannily deep voice, and Mary Ann just being plain sweet. One sister is good, seven are better. One sibling is fun, nine are Christmas in July!

4. What is your favorite food? Oh, this is a hard one. I love food. I love most things with cheese in them. I love ..... pulled-pork barbecue with a mustard base, chicken and dumplings, baked mac and cheese, fried rice, chicken salad sandwiches -- the list goes on. I also like some desserts; Austin has converted me to chocolate. I think my favorite snack (taste-wise) is barbecue potato chips.

5. What is/was your favorite job (or the one you hated least)? My favorite job is being a mom. It's stressful and demanding, but so rewarding and fulfilling. I'm going to write a post about it someday. My favorite job that I've gotten paid for was working as a secretary/cashier at Rip-A-Byte computers with my big brother Nathan. I was slightly bored most of the time because I didn't know how to fix the computers, too, but it was fun being with Nathan. It was funny; a lot of customers would see how we interacted and would ask 1. Are you dating? and then when they heard the answer was no, they asked 2. Are you brother and sister? Kind of awkward, but also really funny. Sometimes they asked No. 2 first and spared themselves the embarrassment of asking a brother and sister if they were dating.

6. What is your favorite hanging out activity? Talking. That is, if I'm with other people that like to talk. If we need to break the ice, I also like to play games. OK, even if we don't have to break the ice I like to play games, but I still like talking more.

7. What motivates you to get out of the bed in the morning? Levi's awake and needs my attention. Before that, if I stayed in bed too long, I got bored.

8. Where is your favorite vacation? Oooo! Can I pick a place that I haven't been to yet? And I'm going to pick two. 1. Machu Picchu because I've always thought it would be really neat to see that and 2. Hawaii (all the islands?). I used to think Hawaii was overrated until I had a companion from there who RAVED about it all the time. She told me that the "big island" has many different terrains and that the other islands have many unique things about them. I don't remember all she told me, but I do remember being SO curious to see this beautiful place. As to my favorite vacation of places that I've been to, going to Grandma and Granddad's in VA was always bliss. Swimming, water skiing, playing games with my family, reading books--what more could you ask for?

9. Do you like pictures being taken of you? Meh. I don't dislike pictures being taken of me. I do sometimes wish that I had more pictures of me with Levi. There are so many with Austin, and so much less with me! I know Austin would take the pictures if I asked, but I'm kind of shy about asking. Dunno why.

10. How do you keep track of important things? What kind of important things? Like things I have to do? I have a calendar by my front door that I write things on that I need to get done, or things I've scheduled for the week. It also has my grocery list on it. Other important things, like important documents? I try to have a special place for them, in some sort of filing system. For things that I've learned that I want to remember, I write down in my journal. Levi's easy; I just use the eyes in the back of my head. Austin is also easy, if I remember to tie him to my apron strings ;)

11. Why did you end up participating? Well, I've been wanting to write a blog post lately, but the things coming to mind weren't really the right thing. Also, I was asked specifically to participate in this. Not only did that make me feel special, but then if I didn't do this, I'd feel like I was letting down the person who asked me to participate.

________________________________________________


Ok, well, that's all, folks! The rule that I'm breaking for this game is that I'm not going to ask anyone to continue. If anyone wants to, go right on ahead! But I don't really know very many bloggers, and Hannah took most of the ones I know that actively blog.

Books I've read since November 2011

When Levi was born, I discovered really quickly that it's pretty boring to nurse a baby.

So I started reading books while I fed him! I've read some pretty good ones (and some that were just ok). Here's a list of the books that I can remember that I've read since Levi was born:

Novels:

by Laura Ingalls Wilder:
Little House in the Big Woods
Little House on the Prairie
On the Banks of Plum Creek
Un granjero de diez años (Farmer Boy)
La pequeña ciudad en la pradera (Little Town on the Prairie)
En las orillas del lago de Plata (By the Shores of Silver Lake)

by Dianna Wynne Jones:
Howl's Moving Castle
House of Many Ways
Castle in the Air

by Terry Pratchett:
Wee Free Men
A Hat Full of Sky

by Jane Austen:
Pride and Prejudice
Northanger Abbey (this one is really good! I liked it for the same reasons I liked P&P)

by Suzanne Collins:
The Hunger Games
En llamas (Catching Fire)
Sinsajo (Mockingjay)

by Louis L'Amour:
The Burning Hills
Sackett

by Lucy Maud Montgomery:
Anne of the Island
Anne of Windy Poplars
The Blue Castle
Kilmeny of the Orchard

by Lois Lowry:
El Dador (The Giver)
Messenger
Gathering Blue

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
Esperanza renace (Esperanza Rising) by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Wolf by the Ears by Ann Rinaldi
Mine Eyes Have Seen by Ann Rinaldi
The Blue-eyed Aborigine by Rosemary Hayes
The Borrowers by Mary Norton

Non-fiction:

West From Home: letters from Laura Ingalls Wilder, San Francisco, 1915
On the Way Home by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Speech that Inspired a Nation by Drew D. Hansen (this was very interesting!)
Tell All the Children Our Story by Tonya Bolden
Childtimes by Eloise Greenfield and Lessie Jones Little
Born to Write: The Remarkable Lives of Six Famous Authors by Charis Cotter
Introduction to Speech Science by Jack Ryalls and Susan Behrens
A Real Boy: A True Story of Autism, Early Intervention, and Recovery by Christina Adams
The Autism Book: What Every Parent Needs to Know About Early Detection, Treatment, Recovery, and Prevention by Dr. Robert Sears

Biographies:
Martin Luther King, Jr. by Godfrey Hodgson
Louisa May Alcott: Her Girlhood Diary
Louisa May Alcott: The Woman behind Little Women by Harriet Reisen
Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Woman behind the Legend
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, autobiography by Maya Angelou
The Real Thomas Jefferson by Andrew M. Allison

The Biography: My New Favorite Genre

I have recently discovered the charm of the biography.

It all started around the beginning of this year after re-reading most of the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I knew that the series was based off of the author's life, but I wondered how much it was fictionalized. I checked out a biography from my handy-dandy local library, and it was SO fascinating! I learned so many very interesting details about the author's life, and life during her era of history. I also learned that while most of the events in her books are factual, many of them happened in a different order and some of her life experiences were completely left out of the books.

Subsequently, I read biographies of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Louisa May Alcott. I enjoyed them both and felt like they filled out my worldview. In addition to learning more about these two great people, I felt like I came to a better understanding of the world around me from reading the books.

Then I thought, "If I've learned so much from reading these two books, what can I learn by reading other biographies?" In light of the political opinions flying around me, I resolved to read biographies of past political leaders who had been generally admired for their performance in their respective offices. My reasoning was that as I read, I would be able to ferret out the qualities that had caused them to be so universally admired.

I started with Thomas Jefferson and Ronald Reagan. Unfortunately, the branch of my local library that is closest to me only had one book in the biography section on each. The one about Jefferson was focused on the development of his thought process and studies. I think I might have gotten about 20 pages into it before deciding that it was not going to supply what I was looking for. The book on Ronald Reagan was a compilation of articles written about him and had a ton of pictures. It didn't seem very cohesive, and also didn't supply what I was looking for. I ended up just looking at the pictures and reading the captions (and hardly any of the text) before I returned it to the library. I was disappointed in these two books, and decided to browse the library collection online to find a more suitable biography.

I wasn't disappointed. I knew I wouldn't have time to read a biography on Jefferson AND on Reagan before moving back to UT, so I just got one on Jefferson. It didn't go into as much detail as I wanted, but it gave a very good overall idea of who he was and what he did that made him great. I definitely know more about Thomas Jefferson the man, as well as the formation of our country. I felt like many of the things that I learned about in my American history class were put into context, and that I didn't have to slog through a boring history book to learn about our nation's history.

I'm really looking forward to reading more biographies and learning more about history and why the world is how it is. I highly recommend biographies to anyone who is looking for a new book to read!

What kind of library IS this?!

I love libraries. I love all the books! I love that there are soooo many books to choose from. I love the organization that's inherently part of a library (my mind has an analytical bent). I love that I don't have to spend money to find and read a good book. I love that if a book isn't good, I didn't pay for it in order to read it. I love that I don't have to carry all those books around with me when I move. I love being able to watch a movie without renting it, especially if I don't think I'll ever watch it again. I love that I see and check out books that I never would have read if I hadn't gone to the library in the first place. I love that I can expand my horizons.

One of the first things I do when I get to a new place is get a library card and check out some books from the local library. So it was when I got to Indianapolis. Within the first month of being here, I found the closest branch of the library to me and got a card. I was interested in non-fiction and biographies when I went the first time, and I found them pretty easily. The biography section is smaller than I'm used to since this is just a branch, so I looked on the other side of the shelf and was surprised to see a "Classic Fiction" section. The rest of the fiction was on the other side of the non-fiction section. I didn't think about it since I was in a hurry to leave. I went to check out the books and was a little thrown off when the self-checkout had me scan each book manually. And then the computer prompts me to put a date due card in the pocket in the back of the book. What? I thought these were phased out 10 years ago! (ok, maybe more like 6 or 7, depending on where you're from. But seriously? I was essentially just doing what the librarian would be doing 10 years ago!) So I put the date due cards in each book that I check out and head home, eager to enjoy my new finds.

example of the date due card

Fast forward a couple of weeks. I'm returning my books, and looking forward to getting new ones. I tried to reserve some books before I came so I could be in and out quickly, and also so I could be sure to get the books I wanted, since I was just going to a branch of the main library. However, I couldn't because I didn't know my PIN, and they didn't tell me one when I signed up. I had assumed I didn't have or need one because of their old-school self-checkout, but their website told me I needed a PIN to put books on hold. Here's what happens when I get to the library to return my books:

Me (thinking): I'd love to read some Anne of Green Gables books. They're pretty universal, so a small branch might have them. I'll go over here and check the juvenile section first, since that's where I've seen them the most. [checks] Hmm, I guess they're in the adult section, or maybe this branch doesn't have any.


I go to the adult fiction area, and see that the fiction is separated into several categories: fiction, Western, mystery, and sci-fi/fantasy. I decide to check the general fiction first. It's a very small section, and I don't find the book I'm looking for. Oh well, guess I'll have to reserve it. While I'm looking at the Westerns, I notice another section: paperbacks. What? ... Turns out the paperback section has the same divisions as the other sections, but even less of each division. To put it into perspective, all of the paperback section fits onto the shelves of one side of one aisle. It took me a while to figure out how the paperbacks were organized, because the alphabet kept starting over. Finally I noticed the itty-bitty labels indicating which section was which and proceeded with my search. I found one Anne book, and it wasn't the one I wanted. I looked around for a while, but only found two books that looked appealing before Levi let me know that he was ready to go home. I thought this whole paperback section was frustrating, since I had to look for every book that I wanted twice.

I get to the checkout counter, and decide not to do self-checkout this time since I'm holding a baby. Here's my conversation with the librarian:

Me: So I'm curious. Why do you have a separate paperback section?
Librarian (with lots of enthusiasm): Oh! It's great, let me tell you about it! Each individual branch of the library has their own personal budget to get books that stay at just that branch.
Me: Oh, really? (thinking) and you only get paperbacks that look like they cost you $0.50 each?
L: Yes! So you actually won't see this on your account when you sign in online. The way it works is that wherever you turn it in, all the books have this one special bar code that indicates to other branches that it's our personal copy. Since all the books have the same bar code, there's no way we would know which book you checked out. (this last sentence is how I interpreted what she said; it's probably not what she actually said)
Me: Whoa, wait. People are on the honor system when it comes to checking out these books?
Librarian (looking uncomfortable): Well, yes. .... But it's a great system!

Me: oh, yeah. I didn't get a PIN when I got my library card.
L: Oh, those are easy to forget! I'll get you one so you can sign the back of your card.
Me: (oh dear) Um, no, I meant P-I-N.
L: Oh! it's just the last four digits of your library card number. I would suggest not changing it because you'll forget it. And if you forget it, then the IT guy has to go through all the PIN's to find it. He's really busy, so I'd suggest just keeping the one we assigned you.
Me: I think I'll change it.
L: No, really, it's better this way. We've been doing this for a long time, and haven't had any problems [turns to other librarians at the counter] How long have we been doing it this way?
Others: Oh, something like 5 or 10 years.
L: See?! We've been doing it this long, you have nothing to worry about!
Me (thinking): And how many other people/companies/institutions have waited to get good security until they've been seriously compromised by a malicious hacker? 

At this point, I give up. Whatever, they won't be convinced. And after all, it can't be very hard to crack a 4-digit PIN, even if it is encrypted. I'll just have to be sure that it's not the same one I use for my credit card.

Several days later, I've finished my two books and I'm back at the library (I have a lot of time to read while I'm feeding Levi). I've put a few (8) books on hold, and 3 of them are already ready for me to pick up! Lucky for me, I remember the classic fiction section of the library tucked away in the back, separated from all the rest of the fiction by several aisles of non-fiction. I go to the back, and start scanning the section. Most of it's pretty predictable: lots of Charles Dickens, some Bronte, some Dante. However, when I saw Douglas Addam's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I started to wonder. There were a couple other books in there that I thought shouldn't be considered classics, even though good. Including The Princess Bride. Seriously! That book was written in the '70's! It's not old enough to be a classic! By the way, all the books in the above picture were in the classics section, except the one that's open. That was one of the ones on hold for me.

So. I still love libraries, and this one can't get rid of me even if it doesn't make sense. But how did the head librarian think the organizational system was a good one???

Family History and Louisa May Alcott

 I feel like my ability to do high-quality family history work has improved drastically over the last week or so. Let me explain:

<<<Disclaimer! This may be uninteresting to people who have no interest in doing family history work now or in the future>>>

1.
I am currently reading a biography of Louisa May Alcott, the author of the well-known novel Little Women.  Through this biography, I have learned much of the culture and logistics of life during the 1800's. Alcott grew up in poverty (worse poverty than her characters in the book; throughout her childhood, Alcott was hungry much of the time), but she had well-off relatives.

Many of Alcott's relatives shared names. There were several Sams, Abbys, and Louisas. On her mother's side, Alcott's grandparents recycled the names of the babies that died soon after birth, giving those names to subsequent children (evidently this was a very common practice during this time period - which makes family history tricky!). There were 12 live births, but only 8 lived past infancy. All of the children that had died shared names with siblings that were born later.

The biography included specific information about Alcott's family that helped me better understand the time period; I believe that that understanding, in turn, will help me to learn about my ancestors. Other than for the wealthy, life was pretty much miserable. Most people did not have enough to eat and housing was hard to obtain. The Alcott family moved scores of times, only owning two of the houses that they lived in, and those by going into debt that that could not repay until after Louisa Alcott had made her fortune through writing.

For anyone that would like to learn more about a specific time period or place, I recommend reading a biography of a person that you're interested in who lived during the time or place that you're interested in to get a better understanding of the setting that certain documents and records were made.

2.
Austin and I set a goal to index a certain number of names by the end of March using FamilySearch Indexing. For those of you who are not familiar with what this is, it basically provides opportunities for volunteers to transcribe information from scanned images to digital information. The information that is transcribed (usually names, birth dates, and other information such as family relationships) is searchable after the volunteer completes the transcription. The image that the data was transcribed from is linked to the information as well, so anyone looking at the information can also look at the original document.

As I've indexed, I've been able to index several different kinds of records. I've noticed that many times, there is additional information on the original document that is not indexed. I'm actually looking forward to looking at these documents for my own ancestors now! I've wanted to search out my ancestors for a long time now, but didn't feel that I had the know-hod to do so.

I've also noticed that families settled in the same general area, and several people of different ages but the same name may live in about the same place. That's another tricky thing to keep in mind while resolving duplicates and finding out more about a particular ancestor.

When I started doing indexing, I did not know that it would improve my ability and confidence in finding and searching out my ancestors. I just thought that I was making more records available to those who are already searching for their ancestors. I'm so glad that I was willing to do it, though, because of how much I've learned through it. This also comes highly recommended! If you want to be more confident in doing family history, then you should index, and index multiple kinds of records.