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What are your children reading?

My kids have lot’s of books they pile them on their bed at night and scan what I don’t read them. I love to buy old (pre 1970′s) books for kids as they are mutant free and the writing is generally more complex.

Some of our favorihttp://z.about.com/d/collectdolls/1/0/g/9/literature2.jpgtes this month are:

PD Eastman’s Go Dog Go! Volume 1 of Childcraft (Rhymes, Poems and Fairy Tales). Kolar’s Racer Dogs – this is new and awesome, though hard to find.

My Daughter is putting hard wear on all the ABC books as she’s finally trying to read/write. She actually references the books when writing-! Today she showed me a “B” and said it was just a 3 with a stick..

Karen


“Go Dog Go” rocks, my son loves that book!! Any books about dogs, and balls are big hits here. He has a fireman book my step-daughter brought home and we look at it a million times a day.

My husband and I just went to a book closeout sale and after digging for awhile we found a couple really great “white” books- the girls like those books because they are about people like us.

Debi

My girls are in to ‘The Mouse and the Cookie’, Princess books, ‘Dick and Jane’ books, a book called ‘Once upon a time’ – it has Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs, Puss -N- Boots and Little Red Riding Hood in it. They also like Dr Suess books along with Saint George and the Dragon.

Nicole

Our Son has WAAAAAAAAAAAAY too many books from the various book clubs I’ve joined. We don’t do Disney movies/cartoons, but he is allowed some Disney books. His favorite right now is Finding Nemo. He also loves the Three Little Pigs, he thinks the wolf burning his butt is hilarious.

I’m also adding that we’ve had a “reading time” before bed for over a year and a half now. He gets a big pile of books after getting ready for bed and gets to read with us for about 30 minutes. It’s become a ritual and I hope it’ll foster a love of books early, which it seems to have done already.

Amanda

Hollandse Jachtschotel (Hunter’s Pie)

http://images.smulweb.nl/recepten/1087788/1_Jachtschotel%20met%20potbrood%20deksel2%20010.jpgIngredients: 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs) potatoes

225 grams (1/2 lbs) leftover meat
60 grams (2 oz) butter
2 onions
100 grams (3-4 oz) grated cheese
2 dl (just short of 1 cup) beef stock
3 tart apples
Pepper, salt, thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
Vinegar

Preparation: Peel, cook and mash the potatoes. Cut and cube the meat. Dice the onions and sauté them in half of the butter (the rest is used as final ‘topping’). Add the meat and quickly fry it. Add the stock, bay leaf, thyme, cloves and a bit of vinegar. Turn down the heat and simmer the meat for 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper for taste. Pour the mix into a greased ovenproof dish.

Peel and slice the apples and put the slices on top of the mix. Cover it all with the mashed potatoes. Put dabs of butter on top and sprinkle it with the grated cheese. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C/395°F for about 20 minutes, till the top is browned.

Serve with a salad.

Celtic Goddesses

Airmed Goddess of the Tuatha de Danaan, the most ancient deities of Ireland. http://c2.api.ning.com/files/ZKlFymV-sMMQ5Y*56BqdiFlm0es4xsqPVvGZrgwACjG3YZ07M65E2e0bGEF9mahQ45XPp2NNNamA-pSA9V0x4urcSwzA39ou/Morrigan.jpgShe had great magical powers and herb craft was Her specialty.

Ardwinna Continental Celtic Goddess of the Wildwood. She demanded a fine for every animal killed in Her wood, which She was said to oversee mounted on a wild boar.

Artio Great Goddess of wildlife in Celtic Gaul and Britain.

Achtland Pan-Celtic, A Goddess queen whom no mortal man could satisfy, she took a giant from the faery realm as her mate. Legend says that she took great pleasure combing his long, fair hair.

Adsullata British, A Goddess of hot springs who came to Brittany from Celtic Gaul. She is the origin of the Anglo-Celtic sun Goddess Sul, and was most likely a minor sun Goddess in her own right before the time when the Celts relegated the majority of their sun images to male deities, and moon images to female ones.

Aerten Cornish, Anglo-Celtic, Welsh, Also spelled Aerfen, or Aeron. A Goddess of fate who presided over the outcome of war between several Celtic clans.

Agrona Welsh, Anglo-Celtic, Goddess of slaughter and war often equated with the Morrigan.

Aife Scottish, Also spelled Aoife. Aife was a Goddess and queen of the Isle of Shadow, an honor she shared with her rival and sister Scathach.

Aine AN-yuh, Ireland, a woman of the Leanan Sidhe (Sweetheart of the Sidhe). Some said she was the daughter of Manannan, some said she was the Morrigan herself.

Andarta Gallic, Fertility Goddess and patron Goddess of the Vocontii tribe.

Andraste Romano-Celtic; British; Anglo-Celtic; Continental Europe, The patron Goddess of the Iceni tribe.

Anu Ireland, goddess of plenty and Mother Earth. Greatest of all Irish goddesses, deity of cattle, health, fertility, prosperity, and comfort.

Aoibhell Evill, Ireland; another woman of the Sidhe, she made her dwelling in Craig Liath.

Ariande Continental European, This Goddess of ancient Crete is the only Greek deity known to have been worshipped in Celtic Gaul.

Arianrhood Wales. “Silver Wheel”; “High Fruitful Mother”; star goddess; sky goddess; virgin; goddess of reincarnation; Full Moon goddess. Her palace was called Caer Arianrhod (Aurora Borealis). Keeper of the circling Silver Wheel of Stars, a symbol of time or karma. This wheel was also known as the Oar Wheel, a ship which carried dead warriors to the Moonland (Emania). Mother of Lleu Llaw Gyffes and Dylan by her brother Gwydion. Her original consort was Nwyvre (Sky or Firmament). Mother aspect of the Triple Goddess in Wales. Honored at the Full Moon. Beauty, fertility, reincarnation. She is the “virgin queen” who dwells in the spiral castle and controls the tides.

Arnamentia Anglo-Celtic, Romano-Celtic, British, Water Goddess known only from inscriptions.

Aveta Romano-Celtic Gallic, Goddess of birth and midwifery.

Banba Irish Earth Goddess. Land Unplowed for a Year.

Ban Naomha Irish Fish Goddess.

Becuma Irish Goddess of the Magic Boat.

Blancheflor White Flower, Celtic Lily Maid Who represented the Maiden aspect of the triple Goddess. The red flower stands for the Mother and the black bird for the Crone, according to the three sacred colors of the Gunas.

Branwen Goddess of Regeneration Who kept the Cauldron of Regeneration. Alder was Her tree. The White Bosomed One. Welsh Love goddess. Venus of the Northern Sea. The crow is Her animal. She is the White Crow.

Bodua Continental Celtic War Goddess.

Badb Bibe, Ireland, goddess of enlightenment, inspiration, life, wisdom. Sister of Macha, the Morrigan, and Anu, the name of this goddess means “boiling,” “battle raven,” and “scald-crow.”

Belisama Celtic, Goddess of light and fire, the forge and of crafts. She is the wife of the god Belenus (Beli) and the Goddess of the Mersey River.

Blodeuwedd Wales. “Flower Face”; “White Flower”. Lily maid of Celtic initiation ceremonies. Also known as the Nine-fold Goddess of the Western Isles of Paradise. Created by Math and Gwydion as a wife for Lleu. She was changed into an owl for her adultery and plotting Lleu’s death. The Maiden form of the Triple Goddess; her symbol was the owl; goddess of the Earth in bloom. Flowers, wisdom, lunar mysteries, initiations

Boann (b00-an)/BOANNAN/BOYNE Ireland. Goddess of the river Boyne; mother of Angus mac Og by the Dagda. Once there was a well shaded by nine magic hazel trees. These trees bore crimson nuts which gave knowledge of everything in the world. Divine salmon lived in the well and ate the nuts. No one, not even the high gods, was allowed to go near the well. But Boann went anyway. The well waters rose to drive her away, but they never returned. Instead they became the River Boyne and the salmon became inhabitants of the river. Other Celtic river goddesses: Siannan (Shan- non), Sabrina (Severn), Sequana (Seine), Deva (Dee), Clota (Clyde), Verbeia (Wharfe), Brigantia (Braint, Brent). Healing.

Brigit Ireland, Wales, Spain, France. “Power”; “Renown”; “High One”; “Fiery Arrow or Power” (Breo-saighead). Daughter of the Dagda; called the poetess. Often called The Triple Brigids, Three Blessed Ladies of Britain, The Three Mothers. Another aspect of Danu; associated with Imbolc. She had an exclusive female priesthood at Kildare and an ever-burning sacred fire. The number of her priestesses was nineteen, representing the nineteen-year cycle of the Celtic “Great Year”. Her kelles were sacred prostitutes and her soldiers brigands. Goddess of fire, fertility, the hearth, all feminine arts and crafts, and martial arts. Healing, physicians, agriculture, inspiration, learning, poetry, divination, prophecy, smithcraft, animal husbandry, love, witchcraft, occult knowledge. She was originally a goddess of the land of Leinster and daughter of the Dagda.

Britannia Romano-Celtic British, Tutelary Goddess. The genia loci of Britain who first appears on the coinage of Antoninius Pius in the 2nd century AD. She became the symbol of the British Empire after being partly syncretized with the war goddess Minerva.

Canola Ancient Irish Goddess. Inventor of the Irish harp.

Carman Irish Goddess of Sterility.

Cessair (Kesara) Early Irish Earth goddess. When Ireland coalesced out of the Underworld, the first beings to reach it were the followers of Cessair, a chieftain Who brought with Her 50 women and 3 men.

Cailleach Bheur Scottish, Irish, Manx, Great Goddess in her Destroyer aspect; called “Veiled One”. Another name is Scota, from which Scotland comes. In parts of Britain she is the Goddess of Winter. She was an ancient Goddess of the pre-Celtic peoples of Ireland. She controlled the seasons and the weather; and was the goddess of earth and sky, moon and sun.

Cerriwden Wales. Moon Goddess; Great Mother; grain goddess; goddess of Nature. The white corpse-eating sow representing the Moon. Wife of the giant Tegid and mother of a beautiful girl Creirwy and an ugly boy Avagdu. Welsh Bards called themselves Cerddorion (sons of Cerridwen). The Bard Taliesin, founder of their craft, was said to be born of Cerridwen and to have tasted a potent brew from her magic cauldron of inspiration. This potion known as ‘greal’ (from which the word Grail probably came), was made from six plants for inspiration and knowledge. Gwion Bach (later called Taliesin) accidentally drank the remaining three drops of the liquid. Her symbol was a white sow. Death, fertility , regeneration, inspiration, magic, astrology, herbs, science, poetry, spells, knowledge. She appears as a Goddess of Inspiration, a sorceress, a Fairy woman, shapeshifter, and crone.

Cliodna Irish, Scottish, Goddess of beauty and the otherworld. A Tuatha sea and Otherworld Goddess who often took the form of a sea bird and, as such, symbolized the Celtic afterlife.

Clota Scottish, Popular Goddess of the River Clyde.

Condwiramur Welsh, Cornish, An archetypal guardian of the feminine mysteries and a Goddess of sovereignty who appears briefly in the Grail legends as the wife of Sir Percival.

Corra Scottish, A Goddess of prophecy who usually appeared in the form of a crane.

Coventina Anglo-Celtic, Scottish, British, Tutelary and water Goddess of uncertain affinities.

Cred Irish, Scottish, Also Creide. This faery queen Goddess is associated with Dana’s mountains, the Paps of Any.

Creddylad Welsh, Daughter of the sea god Llyr.

Cyhiraeth Welsh, Once a Goddess of streams, she later bacame thought of as a faery spirit who was a portent of death.

Damara Anglo-Celtic, An English fertility Goddess associated with Bealtaine.

Damona Gaul, Goddess of fertility and healing; her name means “divine cow”. Cow Goddesses were linked to fertility and abundance.

Divona Gaul, A fertility Goddess associated with water and known only from inscriptions.

Druantia Breton, “Queen of the Druids”, Mother of the tree calendar; Fir Goddess. Fertility, passion, sexual activities, trees, protection, knowledge, creativity.

Dana Eponymous Great Mother of the Danes and the Irish Tuatha De Danaan, people of the Goddess Dana.

Danu – aka Anu, Ana, Cat Ana, Aine Ancient Ancestress Goddess of Ireland.

Dictynna Law giving Goddess of Mount Dicte.

Eriu The Lady Eire – ancient Irish Goddess, Controller of the western apple garden of immortality.

Epona Pan-Celtic, “Divine Horse”; “The Great Mare”; Goddess of horses; Mother Goddess. Fertility, maternity, protectress of horses, horse-breeding, prosperity, dogs, healing springs, crops.

Elaine Wales, Britain. Maiden aspect of the Goddess.

ERIN Ireland. One of the three queens of the Tuatha Da Danann and a daughter of the Dagda.

Flidais Ireland. Goddess of forests, woodlands, and wild things; ruler of wild beasts. She rode in a chariot drawn by deer. Shape-shifter.

Great Mother The Lady; female principal of creation. Goddess of fertility, the Moon, Summer, flowers, love, healing, the seas, water. The index finger was considered the “mother finger,” the most magi- cal which guided, beckoned, blessed and cursed.

Macha (maax-ah) Ireland. “Crow”; “Battle”; “Great Queen of Phantoms”; Mother of Life and Death; a war goddess; Mother Death; originally a Mother Goddess; one of the aspects of the triple Morrigu. Also called Mania, Mana, Mene, Minne. Associated with ravens and crows. She was honored at Lughnassadh. After a battle, the Irish cut off the heads of the losers and called them Macha’s acorn crop. Protectress in war as in peace; goddess of war and death. Cunning, sheer physical force, sexuality, fertility, dominance over males.

Margwase Wales, Britain. Mother aspect of the Goddess.

THE Morrigu (moor-rig-oo)/MORRIGAN (mor-ee-gan)/MORRIGHAN/MORGAN (moor-gan) Ireland, Wales and Britain. “Great Queen”; “Supreme War Goddess”; “Queen of Phantoms or Demons”; “Specter Queen”; shape-shifter. Reigned over the battlefield, helping with her magic, but did not join in battles. Associated with crows and ravens. The Crone aspect of the Goddess; Great Mother; Moon Goddess; Great White Goddess; Queen of the Fairies. In her Dark Aspect (the symbol is then the raven or crow) she is the goddess of war, fate and death; she went fully armed and carried two spears. The carrion crow is her favorite disguise. With her, Fea (Hateful), Nemon (Venomous), Badb (Fury), and Macha (Battle) encouraged fighters to battle madness. Goddess of rivers, lakes, and fresh water. Patroness of priestesses and witches. Revenge, night, magic, prophecy.

Morgan Le Fay Death Goddess. Wells were sacred to Her. aka Morrigan, Mara, Fata Morgana. Raven Her bird. Shamrock Her plant.

Nimue Moon Goddess of Fate.

Niamh Ireland. “Brightness”; “Beauty”. A form of Badhbh who helps heroes at death.

Rhiannon (rhri-an-non) Wales. “The Great Queen”. Goddess of birds and horses. Enchantments, fertility, and the Underworld. She rides a swift white horse.

Scathach/Scota/Scatha/Scath Ireland, Scotland. “Shadow, shade”; “The Shadowy One”; “She Who Strikes Fear”. Underworld goddess of the Land of Scath; Dark Goddess; goddess in the Destroyer aspect. Also a warrior woman and prophetess who lived in Albion (Scotland), probably on the Isle of Skye, and taught the martial arts. Patroness of blacksmiths, healing, magic, prophecy, martial arts.

Sinclair Sacred Light.

Sulis Also known as Sul or Sol (Norse). Ancient Celtic Sun Goddess, worshipped especially on hilltops overlooking springs. The Springs at Bath were originally known as Aquae Sulis (Waters of the Sun).

Tephi Ireland. Goddess of Tara and co-founder with Tea.

White Lady Known to all Celtic countries. Dryad of Death; identified with Macha; Queen of the Dead; the Crone form of the Goddess. Death, destruction, annihilation.

How to make a Grocery List

1. List what you only really need; I know I always buy stuff that is on sale even if http://daddybrain.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/grocery20bag-2.jpgI don’t really need it, and now I have a cupboard full of unused items!

2. List what you’d like to buy (within reason).

3. Check the sales, but make sure you are going to use the items.

4. Check your coupons; use them only if they will truly save on groceries.

5. Add sales items and coupon specials if you will use the product; I save a lot this way on items like dish soap and paper towels.

6. Arrange your list in the order of the grocery store displays, as it saves you time. You should also mark off each item you put in your cart.

7. Estimate the actual cost of the groceries you want; this way you won’t be in for any surprises at the register.

8. Cut back on something if your total estimate is too high.

Tips:

1. Choose a quiet time to work on your list.

2. Keep a list on your fridge and add items to the list when you notice that you are running out!

3. Don’t write it while you’re hungry. When I write my list hungry, I have nothing but junk food on it.

4. Leave yourself a few dollars for unadvertised sales or extras.

HomeFront

Raising a superior Child (Part III – Fitness)

It’s a sad fact that kids aren’t as active as they used to be. Between safety issues (such as not being able to just go play all over the neighborhood outside for hours on end) and indoor activities like video games, our kids are more sedentary than ever. Even the weather can be blamed; after all, who wants to play outside with a 110 degree heat index?

Here in Norhttp://moveitmiamicounty.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/mimc-clip-art-1.png?w=300&h=200th Carolina, we had a few days this summer where it was just too hot and humid to play outside for any length of time. As a result, my son was a little bundle of energy that needed some sort of outlet to make up for our loss of “outside time.” Then, while doing a workout one day, inspiration struck. Sometimes I do my workouts while my son is doing his own thing, and more often than not he will follow along for a while. That was when I decided to design a workout just for him, making it fun by turning it into a bit of a game. In doing this, there are three major benefits: 1. Physical fitness- that’s a no-brainer; 2. Burning off excess energy when we can’t go outside; 3. Instilling good habits early on. Fitness is part of my family’s lifestyle; we exercise, and we like it. He has been observing that for the past four years, and now that he is taking an active part too it will hopefully form a lifelong love for physical activity.

So here is what I did; I grabbed some blank index cards, and made up Fitness Flashcards. I wanted to include a good mix of strength and “cardio” type moves, working the entire body, and using real exercises that he has seen me do. He truly enjoys doing the same moves that he has seen others do, with real weights. I let him use two soft one-pound ankle weights; the weight enough to provide resistance without being too heavy, plus if they are dropped he won’t get hurt. When do weight exercises, I “spot” him, making sure he has perfect form to avoid any straining on joints and possible injury. Better safe than sorry, plus proper form means muscles are worked properly and the whole thing isn’t just for fun. Anyway, on to the cards.

On each card, I wrote the name of the exercise and drew a stick figure illustration of the move. I’m no artist, but I wanted a visual reference for my son’s benefit, and stick men are good enough for him! Then we shuffle the deck, and he draws one card. He has to complete the move, even if it’s not one that he particularly likes, before going onto the next. When we are all done, we finish with a stretch, and he has his choice of a standing stretch or one sitting/laying down. Our exercises are: 30 runs (run around like mad while counting to 30), 30 bounces (bounce in place 30 times), 20 jumping jacks, 10 front kicks (on each leg), 10 squats, 10 pushups, 10 crunches, 10 overhead presses (shoulders), 10 bench presses (chest), 10 bicep curls. We do these every weekday, as part of our daily routine, upon his request. Some days he asks to go through them twice. The whole bit takes about 10 minutes.

If you decide to do these, my words of advice are to keep safety in mind. Don’t let your child use a weight that he has trouble lifting; make sure he can easily do all the reps without losing form, otherwise he may hurt himself. Make the experience fun, but be firm; one thing we are working on now is the importance of following through and not quitting. These have helped with that lesson, because once we start our exercises, we finish them all and don’t quit. If I have to be stern about it, I will; we established the “finishing” rule early on though and it has stuck. Most of all, tailor the ideas to suit your child. We have kicks because that’s what he likes to do, not for some other grand reason. The more fun it is for your child, the more likely he will be to enjoy it. And that is the purpose- to make exercise an enjoyable experience early on so your child incorporates it into his life permanently.

HomeFront

Celebrating Winter

By the time the Winter Solstice is upon us, I am ready to celebrate the birth of the Sun God in very simple traditional ways. Here are a few ways to celebrate Yule without running yourself ragged.

Tuck some fresh sprigs of berried holly around your house for protection and good luck, If you can’t find berried holly you can use plain ole holly,I have Holly hung over my front door year round for protection. Make sure to keep the berries out of reach for children. We also do a Yule Holly Fire spell every year, last year we done the Yule Fire spell with 4 other friends and a teenage boy who was the son of a comrade, we all had a wonderful time participating, we will include the spell at the bottom of the page.

You can also hang some pine roping over your doorways to ward your home and to encourage good health and joy; we started this ritual last year and will continue to do it in our family. Many families have been doing this for years. Some folk say that by doing this you are inviting the faeries of winter into your home so they can have a warm place to celebrate the Yuletide festivities, who doesn’t need a little bit of Faery magick in their home.

We also decorate our home with Yule ornaments mostly suns and stars, you should always check our your local $1 store, I found some beautiful red Sparkly suns their last year and I still have them hanging up from last year. The most important thing about this holiday is to enjoy it, celebrate your life and family and be grateful for all you have.

Yule Fire Spell..

On the darkest night of the year, gather together three dried leaves of holly and pulverize them into powder. On a clean, four-inch by four-inch piece of parchment paper, write a single word in red ink that represents what quality or trait you would like to be born within yourself along with the newborn Yule Sun. Sprinkle the holly powder into the center of the paper and twist the whole thing closed with the holly powder inside. Light the wick of a red candle, and from this flame, lights the holly-filled paper on fire. As it burns, see your wish fulfilled. The spell is done. We put our holly in the microwave to dry it out, and then we crush it with our mortar and pestle.

Morrigan

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Parents Corner: Young Children and mobile phones.

What are we, as parents doing to our children?