The regular “little of this, little of that” feature from Like Mother, Like Daughter!
Last night I was just trying to capture the glowingness of the lilac in the sinking sunlight. I didn't really succeed, but I hope you have a lilac you can go out and look at later on!
Going to the Minnesota Catholic Home Education Conference? Today is the last day to pre-register at the low price of $25. I will be there two give two talks on Saturday! I hope to see you there. I will be selling and signing my book at the Sacred Heart Books and Gifts booth before and after my talks, and I would love to meet you!
This week's links!
- Do you care about Thomas the Tank and the economy of Sodor? I am not a fan of toys that involve expansion that really seems brand-driven, with all the aspects — toy, book, accessories, TV show, movie — carefully choreographed to maximize spending. So I avoided Thomas. But it's interesting to wonder about the backstory, I guess.
- A color-matching game. Gets hard fast. Not for the colorblind!
- What the night sky would look like if other planets were as close as the moon. I always need a little help with visualization…
- How a missionary trip led to the idea of a shoe that can be made bigger as the child grows . I think these shoes could work for families everywhere, but of course, they are particularly helpful for those who are poor. Here is the site where you can donate.
- Your revolution is killing us. “[The tenets of the Sexual Revolution] are awfully expensive, both in terms of the individuals who live by them and those who are merely collateral damage. The cost to society runs to the hundreds of billions of dollars even if you just look at Federal money spent on the underclass whose problems have been exacerbated exponentially by internalizing the Sexual Revolution.”
- Human beings are oriented towards fecundity. A long read. I am not sure I agree with everything that Tyler Blanski says (I think that he reduces courtly love to its most vulgar form, for instance), but the thesis is provocative. You will think a bit differently about the gay marriage debate, which he says is not about gayness but about marriage, and our whole society is complicit.
- If you hate squirrels, you should watch this GIF. It will only take a second, but you will be well rewarded.
- A captivating story about a woman who rose from poverty to become a leader in the field of nursing. ‘She said cardiologists at Sparks told her she should be a doctor and they would help pay for her medical school, but she told them, “I don’t want to be a doctor. I want to be a nurse.” But she did ask them to teach her like a physician. “I told them whatever you want me to learn, I will guarantee you I will learn it,” she said.'
- I hold with the originator of Mother's Day that it ought to be a day for honoring your own mother in a simple way. Thus, we didn't engage in any hype here at LMLD. But Rosie found this post by Rachel Lu on mothers, and we wanted to share it. A little late 🙂
Happy Saturday of the Sixth week of Easter! As Rosie said in this post: “Enjoy the Feast of the Ascension today [this was a year ago]. Did you know that the Catholic practice of saying novenas — nine days of prayer for an intention — is Biblical and comes from the Apostles gathering in prayer from the Ascension to Pentecost – nine days? And that supposedly it’s a housewife who got the Pope to encourage all the faithful to imitate them? How amazing is that! Let’s pray to the Holy Spirit for an outpouring of His gifts! (Technically the novena started yesterday, but you can catch up quick!)”
Abbey @ Surviving Our Blessings says
Your lilac is so lovely! Mine is full of blooms this year, but it is really in need of cutting back. It has no shape and had been neglected when we moved in. I am unsure of myself as a pruner but have been doing my research, and I am going to give it a go when it has finished blooming, I think…a third of the branches seems like a lot to cut! Lilacs are my favorite, and I’m a little worried about hurting it. 🙁
Katie says
Abbey, I was a 100% novice pruner a couple of years ago when we moved into our first house, and it’s been SO satisfying to do a little research and then just go for it! I’m starting to see the fruits of my labor now that a couple of seasons have passed. The best advice I read was about the right time to prune: when the tools are sharp and you’re thinking about it. =) Of course the more I learn the more considerations there are about before vs. after blooming, etc. But I’ve taken some major whacks at some major overgrowth, based on exasperation and gumption and a touch of information (as opposed to landscaping expertise), and it’s a great feeling. Go for it!!
Anitra says
Thankfully, lilacs are amazingly simple. Prune with flowers or as soon as it’s done flowering (ie. in the next few weeks). You can whack off quite a bit and it will keep coming back!
Emily says
Just a note t say that I found the bullet-point format for the links very helpful! You all always give the best links. Happy Saturday!
Leila says
Emily, the bullets are always there — it’s just due to the oddness (and annoyingness) of WordPress that they don’t show up when you are looking at the post on the home page. But if you click on the post itself (or click to it from Facebook or somewhere where it’s linked) you will see the formatting as it should be.
Clare says
I’m in the UK and grew up with the original Thomas the Tank Engine books and TV series, narrated by Ringo from the Beatles. As you say, it’s a shame that it turned into such a marketing empire, but the originals are very sweet and simple, and well worth a look (my children like them too).
Julie says
We love the original stories, too, and I almost cried when the boys no longer wanted to read it or play with trains.
Erin says
Another vote for Thomas here! We have the hardback collection of the complete Railway series, both parents recall watching the original series and, really, when I needed to nurse the baby last year I could always count on Thomas, via Netflix, to provide wholesome and entertaining screen time. We’ve learned about “health and safety,” being “really useful engines” by helping around the house, and avoiding “confusion and delay” (these are all catch phrases from the program). We mostly dodged the commercialism bullet, not that that sort of thing would fly in our family, because when our daughter wanted a “James” for our Brio set, she really meant “any old engine from the thrift store as long as it’s painted red,” and when she wanted an Annie and Clarabel we did find them on eBay for $12 and she earned change for a month and a half to get them.
Claudia says
Love the color game!
Thanks for sharing it!
Katie says
Hahaha, squirrel. Would the same schematics work to fortify our tomato garden, I wonder…
I actually read the Thomas/Sodor article earlier this week, and it’s interesting to consider. In our family, there aren’t too many years between the youngest uncle and the oldest grandchild; thus the Thomas toys are recent and abundant, and so far our girlie really loves to play trains! I’m with you, boo on the merchandising empire. I avoid or give away all the character-licensed books and stuff that come our way. But it seems as if our experience with Thomas will be largely free of the $$$ ridiculousness, thanks to loving hand-me-downs. Leaving me free to contemplate the organizational structures of Sodor and its hapless engines– sometimes a true puzzle, especially as presented in the shows, but I agree with Clare above that the original Rev. Awdry storybooks are sweet and imaginative. Is Thomas my favorite? Not exactly. But in moderation and cushioned from the greediness, I think our kiddos will be able to really enjoy the classic wooden sets and stories. So far, so good, anyway. =)