I have decided to write a small serious of baby raising info mostly for my husband. This is the first time he will really ever be around a baby, and as smart as he is, he don’t know nothing ‘bout birthin’ no babies.
My husband is a brainiac. My students (middle schoolers now ) nicknamed him “Google”. They figure, if you can’t find out about something call Mr. Chevy and he will know the answer. He is a plethora of useless knowledge, well not all useless, but he has stored in his brain millions of little tid-bits of information.
I love my husband and his big ol’ brain but it can be quit annoying at times. Try playing Scrabble with a man who has memorized the dictionary!( Last time I threw the board in to the ocean so I would never have to play again!) So, anyway, as much as he knows he has never been around babies, so he really has no clue. I figure he spends ¾ of his day glued to the computer, so maybe the best way to help him understand my ideas on baby raising, I should put it out there on the world -wide internets. Maybe this was he can connect with it easier =)
So I am going to be writing a series of “articles’ of what I believe is the best for baby. I am not an expert, although I have been a teacher for 25 years, so I think that counts for something. But, while I am not an expert, my ideas do come from theologies that have been researched and proven, mainly the teachings of Maria Montessori and Rudolf Steiner and from my experiences working with children and raising my own. Again, these are MY ideas, (most shared by many). Not everyone will agree with them. If you don’t your CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM is welcome, but this is a loving, peaceful blog, so no hatefulness please.
Namaste
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Not so Wordless Wednesday
Some days you just gotta speak out and this is one of those days. Our goal is to raise this new baby naturally and as holistically as possible. I know that this is Thailand and the standards and values are not the same, but some things really just piss me off! (sorry)
This morning while waiting at Chiang Mai Ram to see the baby Dr. the nurse came and told us we had to wait because the doctor was upstairs with a patient. Me, being nosy, decided to go see what was going on. If you are not from Thailand, let me explain that you can basically just walk in anywhere in the hospital. So, I go up to the Labor and Delivery floor. I noticed a man standing in front of the the nursery window so I went to go check it out. Behind the class, in this florescent lit, noisy room, was a plastic bed with a tiny baby girl, wearing nothing but a diaper and those baby boxing gloves. I began talking to the man and found out that this precious life was his new baby daughter. She was 1 hour old and he was waiting to hold her for the first time.WHAT!!!!!!!! I have to say I did a very good job keeping clam for this poor man's benefit, but I was outraged!
I continued talking with the man and found out that he had NOT been allowed in the delivery room and had not seen his wife for hours. and neither he, nor his wife had held the baby yet because the nurses said he couldn't. You got to be kidding me! I have heard horror stories about Ram, but we have tried to keep positive while looking for another hospital. This was it though. there was this tiny little spirit laying in a plastic tub basically in a room so bright it would give you a migraine, no blanket, no swaddling,nothing! Seeing her tiny feet and boxing gloved hands flailing around, I could only think of Alice in Wonderland, falling down the rabbit hole. This poor baby looked as if she was desperately trying to grasp something to stop the word from spinning.
A nurse came out and New Daddy asked if he could hold the baby. Her reply was no we are busy right now. Busy??? My husband would have flipped out!
With tears in my eyes, I made my way back to Google and Baby Mama and relayed the story to them. My husband right away wanted to walk out of the hospital, but we went through with the appointment.An hour later,as we were leaving the hospital, we went back up to see the baby one last time . Poor New Daddy was still standing in the window waiting to hold poor little Alice.
There is NO WAY IN HELL that our baby is going to be born in that hospital! I may be a crunchy granola foreigner, but please can't people see that there is something wrong here?????
This morning while waiting at Chiang Mai Ram to see the baby Dr. the nurse came and told us we had to wait because the doctor was upstairs with a patient. Me, being nosy, decided to go see what was going on. If you are not from Thailand, let me explain that you can basically just walk in anywhere in the hospital. So, I go up to the Labor and Delivery floor. I noticed a man standing in front of the the nursery window so I went to go check it out. Behind the class, in this florescent lit, noisy room, was a plastic bed with a tiny baby girl, wearing nothing but a diaper and those baby boxing gloves. I began talking to the man and found out that this precious life was his new baby daughter. She was 1 hour old and he was waiting to hold her for the first time.WHAT!!!!!!!! I have to say I did a very good job keeping clam for this poor man's benefit, but I was outraged!
I continued talking with the man and found out that he had NOT been allowed in the delivery room and had not seen his wife for hours. and neither he, nor his wife had held the baby yet because the nurses said he couldn't. You got to be kidding me! I have heard horror stories about Ram, but we have tried to keep positive while looking for another hospital. This was it though. there was this tiny little spirit laying in a plastic tub basically in a room so bright it would give you a migraine, no blanket, no swaddling,nothing! Seeing her tiny feet and boxing gloved hands flailing around, I could only think of Alice in Wonderland, falling down the rabbit hole. This poor baby looked as if she was desperately trying to grasp something to stop the word from spinning.
A nurse came out and New Daddy asked if he could hold the baby. Her reply was no we are busy right now. Busy??? My husband would have flipped out!
With tears in my eyes, I made my way back to Google and Baby Mama and relayed the story to them. My husband right away wanted to walk out of the hospital, but we went through with the appointment.An hour later,as we were leaving the hospital, we went back up to see the baby one last time . Poor New Daddy was still standing in the window waiting to hold poor little Alice.
There is NO WAY IN HELL that our baby is going to be born in that hospital! I may be a crunchy granola foreigner, but please can't people see that there is something wrong here?????
Monday, March 14, 2011
Dragon Invasion!
Dragon Invasion!
In America I always know it’s spring by the lovely little lambs and calfs frolicking in the pastures. Here in Thailand it’s the birth of the lovely little LIZARDS! Living in the jungle you come to expect all kinds of creepy crawly things. I love creepy crawly… at a distance.
This week we have had a bit of an invasion by these lovely little dragons. It seems that my fairy garden is being dominated by this guy:
Meet Firedrake. In Thai he is called “king kah hua daeng” which means red-head lizard (creative huh?) He actually has a blue or green headsometimes.
He is the guardian of our newly formed fairy garden, in our beautiful new front yard. I suppose we should have asked his permission before renting out his hollow tree stump to the Fairies, because he’s a bit angry with me right now. As I sit out on the patio writing everyday he gets closer and closer and I thought we were going to be fast friends, but his mood has changed and he has started making this weird croaking noise at me. Yesterday we discovered why, when his wife Saphira and little son, Zhou Long (Little Dragon) appeared with him.. Now they all spend the day giving me their little beady dragon stares as if to say “Get your dumb magic tree and picnic set off our front lawn!”
Sorry guys I know what it’s like to have your home invaded for sure, because not only are the Firedrake family on the front lawn, and about 40 little ginkgos (geckos) in the house, but this horrible beast has moved INTO THE HOUSE!
I know your thinking “cute little Gecko.’ Cute Gecko my ass! Let me explain that this thing is called a Tokay (which I think is Thai for “big-ass lizard) and is about 20 inches nose to tail, and it hisses, and it poops the size of a cat! And if having that ugly thing lookin at you ain’t enough, it’s got 3 babies!
Every morning now I’m cleaning big cat size poops off my floor, and this morning it was on my YOGA MAT! That’s the last straw of course. Giecko Gecko and her family gotta go. I called some friends and they are going to come lasso her tomorrow (which should lead to some pretty good photos!) And yes, Thai’s do eat these things, but for the most part they believe that they posses spirits of people and are good luck. So it’s kinda bad juju if you eat one! So no, my friends are not going to eat them! Hopefully.
Spring just isn’t the same in the Jungle!
In America I always know it’s spring by the lovely little lambs and calfs frolicking in the pastures. Here in Thailand it’s the birth of the lovely little LIZARDS! Living in the jungle you come to expect all kinds of creepy crawly things. I love creepy crawly… at a distance.
This week we have had a bit of an invasion by these lovely little dragons. It seems that my fairy garden is being dominated by this guy:
Meet Firedrake. In Thai he is called “king kah hua daeng” which means red-head lizard (creative huh?) He actually has a blue or green headsometimes.
He is the guardian of our newly formed fairy garden, in our beautiful new front yard. I suppose we should have asked his permission before renting out his hollow tree stump to the Fairies, because he’s a bit angry with me right now. As I sit out on the patio writing everyday he gets closer and closer and I thought we were going to be fast friends, but his mood has changed and he has started making this weird croaking noise at me. Yesterday we discovered why, when his wife Saphira and little son, Zhou Long (Little Dragon) appeared with him.. Now they all spend the day giving me their little beady dragon stares as if to say “Get your dumb magic tree and picnic set off our front lawn!”
Sorry guys I know what it’s like to have your home invaded for sure, because not only are the Firedrake family on the front lawn, and about 40 little ginkgos (geckos) in the house, but this horrible beast has moved INTO THE HOUSE!
I know your thinking “cute little Gecko.’ Cute Gecko my ass! Let me explain that this thing is called a Tokay (which I think is Thai for “big-ass lizard) and is about 20 inches nose to tail, and it hisses, and it poops the size of a cat! And if having that ugly thing lookin at you ain’t enough, it’s got 3 babies!
Every morning now I’m cleaning big cat size poops off my floor, and this morning it was on my YOGA MAT! That’s the last straw of course. Giecko Gecko and her family gotta go. I called some friends and they are going to come lasso her tomorrow (which should lead to some pretty good photos!) And yes, Thai’s do eat these things, but for the most part they believe that they posses spirits of people and are good luck. So it’s kinda bad juju if you eat one! So no, my friends are not going to eat them! Hopefully.
Spring just isn’t the same in the Jungle!
Dragon Invasion!
Dragon Invasion!
In America I always know it’s spring by the lovely little lambs and calfs frolicking in the pastures. Here in Thailand it’s the birth of the lovely little LIZARDS! Living in the jungle you come to expect all kinds of creepy crawly things. I love creepy crawly… at a distance.
This week we have had a bit of an invasion by these lovely little dragons. It seems that my fairy garden is being dominated by this guy:
Meet Firedrake. In Thai he is called “king kah hua daeng” which means red-head lizard (creative huh?) He actually has a blue or green headsometimes.
He is the guardian of our newly formed fairy garden, in our beautiful new front yard. I suppose we should have asked his permission before renting out his hollow tree stump to the Fairies, because he’s a bit angry with me right now. As I sit out on the patio writing everyday he gets closer and closer and I thought we were going to be fast friends, but his mood has changed and he has started making this weird croaking noise at me. Yesterday we discovered why, when his wife Saphira and little son, Zhou Long (Little Dragon) appeared with him.. Now they all spend the day giving me their little beady dragon stares as if to say “Get your dumb magic tree and picnic set off our front lawn!”
Sorry guys I know what it’s like to have your home invaded for sure, because not only are the Firedrake family on the front lawn, and about 40 little ginkgos (geckos) in the house, but this horrible beast has moved INTO THE HOUSE!
I know your thinking “cute little Gecko.’ Cute Gecko my ass! Let me explain that this thing is called a Tokay (which I think is Thai for “big-ass lizard) and is about 20 inches nose to tail, and it hisses, and it poops the size of a cat! And if having that ugly thing lookin at you ain’t enough, it’s got 3 babies!
Every morning now I’m cleaning big cat size poops off my floor, and this morning it was on my YOGA MAT! That’s the last straw of course. Giecko Gecko and her family gotta go. I called some friends and they are going to come lasso her tomorrow (which should lead to some pretty good photos!) And yes, Thai’s do eat these things, but for the most part they believe that they posses spirits of people and are good luck. So it’s kinda bad juju if you eat one! So no, my friends are not going to eat them! Hopefully.
Spring just isn’t the same in the Jungle!
In America I always know it’s spring by the lovely little lambs and calfs frolicking in the pastures. Here in Thailand it’s the birth of the lovely little LIZARDS! Living in the jungle you come to expect all kinds of creepy crawly things. I love creepy crawly… at a distance.
This week we have had a bit of an invasion by these lovely little dragons. It seems that my fairy garden is being dominated by this guy:
Meet Firedrake. In Thai he is called “king kah hua daeng” which means red-head lizard (creative huh?) He actually has a blue or green headsometimes.
He is the guardian of our newly formed fairy garden, in our beautiful new front yard. I suppose we should have asked his permission before renting out his hollow tree stump to the Fairies, because he’s a bit angry with me right now. As I sit out on the patio writing everyday he gets closer and closer and I thought we were going to be fast friends, but his mood has changed and he has started making this weird croaking noise at me. Yesterday we discovered why, when his wife Saphira and little son, Zhou Long (Little Dragon) appeared with him.. Now they all spend the day giving me their little beady dragon stares as if to say “Get your dumb magic tree and picnic set off our front lawn!”
Sorry guys I know what it’s like to have your home invaded for sure, because not only are the Firedrake family on the front lawn, and about 40 little ginkgos (geckos) in the house, but this horrible beast has moved INTO THE HOUSE!
I know your thinking “cute little Gecko.’ Cute Gecko my ass! Let me explain that this thing is called a Tokay (which I think is Thai for “big-ass lizard) and is about 20 inches nose to tail, and it hisses, and it poops the size of a cat! And if having that ugly thing lookin at you ain’t enough, it’s got 3 babies!
Every morning now I’m cleaning big cat size poops off my floor, and this morning it was on my YOGA MAT! That’s the last straw of course. Giecko Gecko and her family gotta go. I called some friends and they are going to come lasso her tomorrow (which should lead to some pretty good photos!) And yes, Thai’s do eat these things, but for the most part they believe that they posses spirits of people and are good luck. So it’s kinda bad juju if you eat one! So no, my friends are not going to eat them! Hopefully.
Spring just isn’t the same in the Jungle!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Jungle Fever
This morning I realized that I have a bad case of 'jungle fever". No, I'm not in love with a black man, although if Denzel came a knockin......
You see, back home in the states, you all suffer from Spring Fever, here in Thailand, we get "Jungle Fever" You know, that feeling of "OMG, I gotta get outta here or I'm gonna go crazy!"?
Anyway, for the past week or so I have been in a real funk. (Apologies to my poor hubby, IT) I have felt like a ticking time bomb ready to go off at any moment. And no one is safe from my wrath. I suppose this could be come from many places deep in my spirit, or maybe just below the surface, but where ever it's coming from, it sucks. Right now so many things are going on that my mind seems to be soaking it all in like a big sponge, a big sloppy soggy sponge, and seriously, if I don't wring it out soon, I just might flood the neighborhood!
As I gaze over my web friends lovely blogs, one after the other I see these beautiful photos of thawing snow, growing tulips, happy little birds and happy little clouds. so what's the problem you ask? I'll tell you what the problem is! It's hot! Dang hot! I'm sticky I'm sweaty, I'm too darn lazy to go out to the garden and I am really questioning whether giving up chemical deodorant was such a good idea. For the past month it has been gradually getting hotter and hotter. Here we are in March and it is in the 90's. You heard me the 90's!
I miss seasons. I miss Spring with is flowers and birds and baby lambs and chicks. You see hear in Thailand we have two seasons. Wet and Dry. From April to October it rains EVERY day. and then from November to March it's dry as a bone. But through the entire 12 months, it's hot! we range from 70-100 degrees the entire year. As much as I love the beautiful jungles of Thailand, I miss the Spring and Fall most of all. I'm Sick of the tropics! I have jungle fever!
So to cheer myself up, I have decided to share some photos of our beautiful jungle home with my friends.(If I can figure out how to ) And them I think I'll pursue though your photos of the winter storms just to remember that I am exactly where the Lord wants me to be.
You see, back home in the states, you all suffer from Spring Fever, here in Thailand, we get "Jungle Fever" You know, that feeling of "OMG, I gotta get outta here or I'm gonna go crazy!"?
Anyway, for the past week or so I have been in a real funk. (Apologies to my poor hubby, IT) I have felt like a ticking time bomb ready to go off at any moment. And no one is safe from my wrath. I suppose this could be come from many places deep in my spirit, or maybe just below the surface, but where ever it's coming from, it sucks. Right now so many things are going on that my mind seems to be soaking it all in like a big sponge, a big sloppy soggy sponge, and seriously, if I don't wring it out soon, I just might flood the neighborhood!
As I gaze over my web friends lovely blogs, one after the other I see these beautiful photos of thawing snow, growing tulips, happy little birds and happy little clouds. so what's the problem you ask? I'll tell you what the problem is! It's hot! Dang hot! I'm sticky I'm sweaty, I'm too darn lazy to go out to the garden and I am really questioning whether giving up chemical deodorant was such a good idea. For the past month it has been gradually getting hotter and hotter. Here we are in March and it is in the 90's. You heard me the 90's!
I miss seasons. I miss Spring with is flowers and birds and baby lambs and chicks. You see hear in Thailand we have two seasons. Wet and Dry. From April to October it rains EVERY day. and then from November to March it's dry as a bone. But through the entire 12 months, it's hot! we range from 70-100 degrees the entire year. As much as I love the beautiful jungles of Thailand, I miss the Spring and Fall most of all. I'm Sick of the tropics! I have jungle fever!
So to cheer myself up, I have decided to share some photos of our beautiful jungle home with my friends.(If I can figure out how to ) And them I think I'll pursue though your photos of the winter storms just to remember that I am exactly where the Lord wants me to be.
Change is a Coming!
March 1, 2011 Chiang Mai, Thailand
Last week my BABY turned 18. I am now the mother or four fully grown human beings, with lives, and jobs, and college educations. I could deal with the fact and except that I am heading toward "Grandma Ville" if it wasn't for the fact, that in a mere five weeks time, I am going to be the mother of a brand new baby girl.
Now don't get me wrong, I am OVER JOYED at being a mommy again, but holly crap, I'm going to be a mommy again!!! For the past 7 years IT and I have been trying to adopt, first in China and now here in Thailand. It has beena terrible journey fraught with tears and heart aches, one after the other. We had finally given up and were planning our future (excepting the grandparent thing) when suddenly this new opportunity was laid upon us. We are so please and thankful that God has chosen us to be the parents of this precious life, but have I said ..holy crap, I'm going to be a mommy again???? I'm almost 43, going through "the change" and just became the director of not one, but two schools!
So many things I have learned since The Boy’s birth 23 years ago. Montessori, Waldorf, attachment parenting, spirituality ,homeschooling, whole foods, sustainability, gratitude…….. Can I really fit all these wonderful things into my world? Am I really going to be able to be a stay at home mom without missing my classroom? Am I going to be able to keep up with a 2 year old? Will I survive ANOTHER teenage girl????
Last week my BABY turned 18. I am now the mother or four fully grown human beings, with lives, and jobs, and college educations. I could deal with the fact and except that I am heading toward "Grandma Ville" if it wasn't for the fact, that in a mere five weeks time, I am going to be the mother of a brand new baby girl.
Now don't get me wrong, I am OVER JOYED at being a mommy again, but holly crap, I'm going to be a mommy again!!! For the past 7 years IT and I have been trying to adopt, first in China and now here in Thailand. It has beena terrible journey fraught with tears and heart aches, one after the other. We had finally given up and were planning our future (excepting the grandparent thing) when suddenly this new opportunity was laid upon us. We are so please and thankful that God has chosen us to be the parents of this precious life, but have I said ..holy crap, I'm going to be a mommy again???? I'm almost 43, going through "the change" and just became the director of not one, but two schools!
Funny, one week before finding out about the baby, I read the quote;
Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe .
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe .
On a post-it sticky heart I wrote this quote, along with “change is coming”. I promptly stuck these on my mirror and have been staring at them for the past 5 months. Boy! I had no idea! Change is coming. Big change. Once again I have been given the opportunity to mold a new life.
So many things I have learned since The Boy’s birth 23 years ago. Montessori, Waldorf, attachment parenting, spirituality ,homeschooling, whole foods, sustainability, gratitude…….. Can I really fit all these wonderful things into my world? Am I really going to be able to be a stay at home mom without missing my classroom? Am I going to be able to keep up with a 2 year old? Will I survive ANOTHER teenage girl????
Sitting here in my little jungle, I can just exhale, make a wish and just remember the words of my oh-so-wise Baby Beans, “Just don’t screw this kid up Mom!”
Sunday, January 9, 2011
"The Good Wife" To Be or Not To Be????
* Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.
* Prepare yourself. Take fifteen minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.
* Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
* Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.
* Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering to his personal comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
* Be happy to see him.
* Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.
* Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not one of them. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
* Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.
* Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself body and spirit.
* Don't complain if he's late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.
* Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.
* Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.
* A good wife always knows her place.
You HAVE to read all the controversy! Good Golly Miss Molly, have we become an uptight , outspoken society or what??? Ladies PLEASE, is it really so bad that they say a good wife knows her place? If you are a Christian girl, there is no arguing! God said it, we gotta do it. Now, don't get me wrong there are things I am just not EVER going to do
"Ninety-two percent of men said it wasn't primarily about the sex. "The majority said it was an emotional disconnection, specifically a sense of feeling under appreciated. A lack of thoughtful gestures," Gary says. "Men are very emotional beings. They just don't look like that. Or they don't seem like that. Or they don't tell you that."
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