This was a long poem. Lucretius was a Roman and wrote the epic poem in Latin verse. He said that his purpose for writing it in verse was to teach the people about the Nature of Things or in other words about science to relieve them from their superstitions and dependence on making sacrifices and performing rituals to the Gods. I'm sure it is more interesting in Latin. Maybe my children will be able to appreciate it in Latin some day, maybe I will. I listened to all of it while I did the dishes and cleaned and folded clothes. I think it was about 12 hours long. I wasn't sure I was getting a lot out of it, but I persevered and I'm glad I did.
He talked about atoms and void and matter. So now I know where these ideas first came from. It's interesting to know now what we do about atoms and molecules and how there really is no void. He also talked about the soul and body and how the body is nothing without the soul and how the mind can affect the body. He talked about the weather and although he was really putting down the polytheistic religion of his time, he did believe in God- an all powerful being. His study of nature and science moved him to believe in something more that the polytheistic rituals of his day. It was interesting to listen to how he attacked those beliefs and eventually followed Nature and Science to God.
I'm sorry I can't write more or a better post about this, but it is similar to the way I am studying these works. I am not delving deep into them and the philosophies. I am just getting a general understanding and overview of each of the works I study. I don't take notes, because I really don't have time to sit and read, listening is much more time productive for me, but it is better than nothing. Hopefully this short essay gives you some understanding. Who nowadays even knows who Lucretius is?
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
New Links and Explanation
I just added a couple new links on the side. I really should be in bed, but it's quiet so I'm updating this.
Anyway, Original Fast Foods is a great place to start if you are looking to be more healthy in your eating habits. They promote eating very little animal products and focusing more on eating sprouts, salads and other healthy, unrefined and natural foods.
Vicki Talmage has healthy living down. I want to be like her when I grow up. Her book is wonderful and informative and full of great raw recipes and info on things like growing your own wheat grass and making seed cheese and Rejuvelac. I highly recommend her book to anyone looking to add more raw foods to their diet.
Open Texture is where I bought our Greek curriculum and I LOVE it!!
Main lesson.com has a thousands of free stories you can print or buy in book form. I have loved all the stuff I've bought. Currently we are reading the Story Book of Science, Wild Animals I have Known and 50 Famous Stories Retold and some poetry books.
Librivox.org and Audible.com are where I download my audiobooks so that I can participate in all my book clubs and write short essays on them here.
Flylady.net has helped me time and time again to get a handle on my housecleaning and decluttering responsibilities, one baby step at a time!!
Children's Miracle Music is a life saver for getting 5 little children up and ready for the day. Without it, it can take until lunchtime for them to be ready for school. It really does work a miracle each day we use it. And the kids love their private dates.
I'll put up others as I think of them, but these are the biggest helpers to me so far!!
Oh, I need one for the Great Books of the Western World, next time. I'm tired!!
Anyway, Original Fast Foods is a great place to start if you are looking to be more healthy in your eating habits. They promote eating very little animal products and focusing more on eating sprouts, salads and other healthy, unrefined and natural foods.
Vicki Talmage has healthy living down. I want to be like her when I grow up. Her book is wonderful and informative and full of great raw recipes and info on things like growing your own wheat grass and making seed cheese and Rejuvelac. I highly recommend her book to anyone looking to add more raw foods to their diet.
Open Texture is where I bought our Greek curriculum and I LOVE it!!
Main lesson.com has a thousands of free stories you can print or buy in book form. I have loved all the stuff I've bought. Currently we are reading the Story Book of Science, Wild Animals I have Known and 50 Famous Stories Retold and some poetry books.
Librivox.org and Audible.com are where I download my audiobooks so that I can participate in all my book clubs and write short essays on them here.
Flylady.net has helped me time and time again to get a handle on my housecleaning and decluttering responsibilities, one baby step at a time!!
Children's Miracle Music is a life saver for getting 5 little children up and ready for the day. Without it, it can take until lunchtime for them to be ready for school. It really does work a miracle each day we use it. And the kids love their private dates.
I'll put up others as I think of them, but these are the biggest helpers to me so far!!
Oh, I need one for the Great Books of the Western World, next time. I'm tired!!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
How to get your husband to do anything!!
My husband has been telling me for years that men are simple creatures. All they need is good loving and good food in that order. They will almost always take loving over food. And if you give good loving you can often get out of making good food and sometimes even cleaning stuff.
Anyway, if you want him to do something, just ask him directly -- will you take out the garbage? will you change the light bulb in the bathroom? Will you bring up that heavy bucket of wheat from the fruit room?
You only ask him only once and don't expect him to do it right away. Never bring it up again. (But if he sees you struggle with the trash, it's O.K. to look a little pathetic because men like to rescue their woman and he will probably take the trash from you and do it for you). Never expect him to take a hint like the bathroom light is burned out.... He will only think you find it interesting. You have to ask him directly or he may not realize you want him to do something for you.
Once you ask correctly without repeating which he may consider nagging, he may grumble a little bit, but he will do it. He will grumble less the least amount of times you ask him to do something.
Then the big trick, my husband tells me and it seems to work for him is to reward that good behaviour. When your husband does something for you that you really appreciate or are just glad he did it, then give him a kiss and a hug and say thank you and tell him how big and strong he is and how appreciative you are of his hard work or help. Then he might start looking for projects to do especially if he thinks he might get a reward of ????-you fill in the blank.
Also, another thing to remember is that when he helps, you have to let him help his way. He won't want to do it your way. Remember beggars can't be choosers, and you should be thankful that that was one less dish you had to rinse even if the counters and pots are left untouched. But if it is really important to you, then refer back to the previous paragraphs and reward that good behaviour, maybe he'll even mop the kitchen floor if there's a great reward of loving and appreciation waiting for him. Husbands like to make their wives happy and they like to rescue them.
I think husbands really are simple creatures!!
Anyway, if you want him to do something, just ask him directly -- will you take out the garbage? will you change the light bulb in the bathroom? Will you bring up that heavy bucket of wheat from the fruit room?
You only ask him only once and don't expect him to do it right away. Never bring it up again. (But if he sees you struggle with the trash, it's O.K. to look a little pathetic because men like to rescue their woman and he will probably take the trash from you and do it for you). Never expect him to take a hint like the bathroom light is burned out.... He will only think you find it interesting. You have to ask him directly or he may not realize you want him to do something for you.
Once you ask correctly without repeating which he may consider nagging, he may grumble a little bit, but he will do it. He will grumble less the least amount of times you ask him to do something.
Then the big trick, my husband tells me and it seems to work for him is to reward that good behaviour. When your husband does something for you that you really appreciate or are just glad he did it, then give him a kiss and a hug and say thank you and tell him how big and strong he is and how appreciative you are of his hard work or help. Then he might start looking for projects to do especially if he thinks he might get a reward of ????-you fill in the blank.
Also, another thing to remember is that when he helps, you have to let him help his way. He won't want to do it your way. Remember beggars can't be choosers, and you should be thankful that that was one less dish you had to rinse even if the counters and pots are left untouched. But if it is really important to you, then refer back to the previous paragraphs and reward that good behaviour, maybe he'll even mop the kitchen floor if there's a great reward of loving and appreciation waiting for him. Husbands like to make their wives happy and they like to rescue them.
I think husbands really are simple creatures!!
Monday, February 2, 2009
What is Rejuvelac?
Rejuvelac is a super healthy drink made out of soft white wheat sprouts (you can make it with any grain, but soft white wheat tastes the best).
1- First you sprout the wheat for about 2 days, I've had success making it with sprouts that are even 3 days old. The wheat just needs a tiny little sprout, not like what you see in the stores. If you won't get to the sprouts before they get too big, you can store them in the fridge and they'll be fine for a week or so.
2-Then you put about 1-2 cups of sprouts in your blender filled with pure water and blend them together for about 10 seconds just to break them up.
3-Then you pour the sprout/water mixture into your container of choice and fill that to the top with more pure water. Then you cover it with a towel if you have time and let it sit for 6-24 hrs. I prefer glass containers, I have used glass bowels before, but now I prefer 2 half gallon jars and one glass pitcher with a lid.
4-Strain the mixture into a clean jar and you have rejuvelac!! If it smells and tastes bad, it probably is. It should smell like sprouts and taste slightly lemony and may be slightly bubbly. The longer you let it sit the more bubbly and stronger-tasting it will get. This also means there is more enzymatic action.
Rejuvelac is supposed to be good for digestion and everything in your body. Ann Wigmore invented it when she got sick from testing the effects of GMO food on her body. The rejuvelac restored her back to good health after this test.
Rejevelac is what I drink when after a meal, I still don't feel quite satisfied or I feel thirsty and I don't want to drink water right away. It stabilizes me and makes me feel satisfied and better. The taste takes a little getting used to, but it's so worth it!!
Go try some rejuvelac, it's super easy to make once you have mastered the art of sprouting and it will make you feel so good!! Keep it in the fridge!!
1- First you sprout the wheat for about 2 days, I've had success making it with sprouts that are even 3 days old. The wheat just needs a tiny little sprout, not like what you see in the stores. If you won't get to the sprouts before they get too big, you can store them in the fridge and they'll be fine for a week or so.
2-Then you put about 1-2 cups of sprouts in your blender filled with pure water and blend them together for about 10 seconds just to break them up.
3-Then you pour the sprout/water mixture into your container of choice and fill that to the top with more pure water. Then you cover it with a towel if you have time and let it sit for 6-24 hrs. I prefer glass containers, I have used glass bowels before, but now I prefer 2 half gallon jars and one glass pitcher with a lid.
4-Strain the mixture into a clean jar and you have rejuvelac!! If it smells and tastes bad, it probably is. It should smell like sprouts and taste slightly lemony and may be slightly bubbly. The longer you let it sit the more bubbly and stronger-tasting it will get. This also means there is more enzymatic action.
Rejuvelac is supposed to be good for digestion and everything in your body. Ann Wigmore invented it when she got sick from testing the effects of GMO food on her body. The rejuvelac restored her back to good health after this test.
Rejevelac is what I drink when after a meal, I still don't feel quite satisfied or I feel thirsty and I don't want to drink water right away. It stabilizes me and makes me feel satisfied and better. The taste takes a little getting used to, but it's so worth it!!
Go try some rejuvelac, it's super easy to make once you have mastered the art of sprouting and it will make you feel so good!! Keep it in the fridge!!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Raw Foods and Cleansing
I have been on a journey of healthy eating for a long time. I have always cared about health and nutrition and could go on and on about my journey. If you want the whole story e-mail me. I think it's very interesting.
But here's where I am now. I have just completed a third set of cleansing with colonics and herbs with Vicki Talmage. I am so grateful for her and her program and her knowledge and willingness to share. I highly recommend her book, From Bin to Banquet; it's full of information and recipes. I still cannot believe all the stuff we have gotten out of my colon over the past 6 months. My little potbelly is gone, my melasma is finally fading away, I haven't had a migraine in a very long time, and I feel good again. I am on the right path for me. I love my deep dark green leafy salads and dressings. I've been drinking rejuvelac and making seed cheese. I sprout lots of different grains, seeds and legumes. I make tasty healthy green smoothies in the morning. And I am well on my way to growing and juicing my own wheat grass. It is a really great place to be. I have spent a great deal of time on it especially these past 6 months, and I just wanted to share!!
But here's where I am now. I have just completed a third set of cleansing with colonics and herbs with Vicki Talmage. I am so grateful for her and her program and her knowledge and willingness to share. I highly recommend her book, From Bin to Banquet; it's full of information and recipes. I still cannot believe all the stuff we have gotten out of my colon over the past 6 months. My little potbelly is gone, my melasma is finally fading away, I haven't had a migraine in a very long time, and I feel good again. I am on the right path for me. I love my deep dark green leafy salads and dressings. I've been drinking rejuvelac and making seed cheese. I sprout lots of different grains, seeds and legumes. I make tasty healthy green smoothies in the morning. And I am well on my way to growing and juicing my own wheat grass. It is a really great place to be. I have spent a great deal of time on it especially these past 6 months, and I just wanted to share!!
Monday, January 12, 2009
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
I finished this book by listening to it from audible.com, all 30-50 hrs of it, unabridged. It took 3 months, but it was very good and well worth my time. It was hard to keep track of all the characters by just listening at first, but with a little help from my book club buddies, we met once a month, I got it figured out and I just kept going.
It was well worth the time. Tolstoy is a master at portraying so many different characters and making them believeable . I think I know people who are just like some of those characters. Also, his insight into the war of 1812 and the defeat of Napoleon are very interesting. I don't know much about Russian history, but Tolstoy insists that the defeat of the French was an accident. After the fact, he says, the historians and the czar talk about how the Russian retreat into the coldness at the time of winter was on purpose to draw the unprepared French into the freezing Russian weather and that they knew the French would lose that way. In fact the French army lost hundreds of thousands of soldier to the freezing Russian winter and it marked the beginning of the end of Napoleon's empire, but Tolstoy makes the case and a good one at that, that it was by accident and that man has little to do with how events actually take place. God knows what will happen and man fulfills roles, but really has little control over the results on a wide scale. Napoleon who had been a master in conquest made several uncharacteristic mistakes such as not to stay in Moscow after he conquered it where there were plenty of supplies for his armies and then retreating in the middle of winter with no winter clothing for his troops and on top of that, retreating by the route least beneficial to his troops. Had he just stayed in Moscow or even retreated by a different route, his outcome may have been very different.
Pierre was probably the main character of this long novel and his ideas and philosophies and how they change over the course of his life is very interesting. He starts out with nothing and unexpectedly inherits a great fortune and title. He marries a selfish woman and hates himself for being like all the other rich people, but he does have nobler aspirations and by the end of the book, he reaches them His wife dies and he is free to marry for love and has children and acts on his nobler desires in regards to his subjects and fellowman.
The romantic stories were fun to read, and I liked how they all came out. I’m sure most men love the details of the war scenes and the women like the romantic relationships. This book’s got it all. No wonder it has stood the test of time. I feel like I really understand what it was like to be an upper class Russian at the time of Napoleon’s invasion. I have a greater understanding and appreciation for these people. And I highly recommend this book!!
It was well worth the time. Tolstoy is a master at portraying so many different characters and making them believeable . I think I know people who are just like some of those characters. Also, his insight into the war of 1812 and the defeat of Napoleon are very interesting. I don't know much about Russian history, but Tolstoy insists that the defeat of the French was an accident. After the fact, he says, the historians and the czar talk about how the Russian retreat into the coldness at the time of winter was on purpose to draw the unprepared French into the freezing Russian weather and that they knew the French would lose that way. In fact the French army lost hundreds of thousands of soldier to the freezing Russian winter and it marked the beginning of the end of Napoleon's empire, but Tolstoy makes the case and a good one at that, that it was by accident and that man has little to do with how events actually take place. God knows what will happen and man fulfills roles, but really has little control over the results on a wide scale. Napoleon who had been a master in conquest made several uncharacteristic mistakes such as not to stay in Moscow after he conquered it where there were plenty of supplies for his armies and then retreating in the middle of winter with no winter clothing for his troops and on top of that, retreating by the route least beneficial to his troops. Had he just stayed in Moscow or even retreated by a different route, his outcome may have been very different.
Pierre was probably the main character of this long novel and his ideas and philosophies and how they change over the course of his life is very interesting. He starts out with nothing and unexpectedly inherits a great fortune and title. He marries a selfish woman and hates himself for being like all the other rich people, but he does have nobler aspirations and by the end of the book, he reaches them His wife dies and he is free to marry for love and has children and acts on his nobler desires in regards to his subjects and fellowman.
The romantic stories were fun to read, and I liked how they all came out. I’m sure most men love the details of the war scenes and the women like the romantic relationships. This book’s got it all. No wonder it has stood the test of time. I feel like I really understand what it was like to be an upper class Russian at the time of Napoleon’s invasion. I have a greater understanding and appreciation for these people. And I highly recommend this book!!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year!!!
Happy New Year Everybody!!
What are some of your New Year's Resolutions?
One of mine was to work out a new school schedule which we will start on Monday. I hope it works out.
I also want to focus on teaching my kids to help more with meal preparation and clean-up. They are good at cleaning their rooms, that only took a couple years, so now it is time to go to the next level.
Also, I would like to say that you are probably doing better than you think you are. I was feeling incredibly overwhelmed and stressed by the time New Year's Eve came around that I just had to lay down on my bed in the dark, and I didn't want to do anything else. My husband came in and I started telling him that I felt stressed, and he was so good-- this is a great lesson for any husband-- he told me he didn't know why I was stressed and then he named 3 things that I have been doing well with and that I have been getting good results with. I knew he was right. I realized that I was focusing on what I need to do instead of being grateful for what I have done.
When I realized that I was not a complete failure and that I have been good at some things, I felt way better. I jumped up and told the kids we would have a little party after all. I found some old unused party favors and told them that for our party they could pick a prize for every job they did. Soon they were asking me what job they could do next. It was so awesome!! I have never had that experience before. We got a good amount of cleaning done. The house looked respectable for being home to 5 little kids and messy parents. We then had our little party and went to bed. I think that was one of the nicest New year's I've had, and I didn't even stay up until midnight!!
What are some of your New Year's Resolutions?
One of mine was to work out a new school schedule which we will start on Monday. I hope it works out.
I also want to focus on teaching my kids to help more with meal preparation and clean-up. They are good at cleaning their rooms, that only took a couple years, so now it is time to go to the next level.
Also, I would like to say that you are probably doing better than you think you are. I was feeling incredibly overwhelmed and stressed by the time New Year's Eve came around that I just had to lay down on my bed in the dark, and I didn't want to do anything else. My husband came in and I started telling him that I felt stressed, and he was so good-- this is a great lesson for any husband-- he told me he didn't know why I was stressed and then he named 3 things that I have been doing well with and that I have been getting good results with. I knew he was right. I realized that I was focusing on what I need to do instead of being grateful for what I have done.
When I realized that I was not a complete failure and that I have been good at some things, I felt way better. I jumped up and told the kids we would have a little party after all. I found some old unused party favors and told them that for our party they could pick a prize for every job they did. Soon they were asking me what job they could do next. It was so awesome!! I have never had that experience before. We got a good amount of cleaning done. The house looked respectable for being home to 5 little kids and messy parents. We then had our little party and went to bed. I think that was one of the nicest New year's I've had, and I didn't even stay up until midnight!!
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