Field Trip

Earlier this month my mom volunteered to attend a field trip with Isaiah's 2nd grade class. Mom had Isaiah and another boy and they walked around the center and learned all kinds of neat things from years gone by. Being that I wasn't there I can't explain the photos but I'll do my best.This is a photo of Isaiah demonstrating how one would card wool. I guess the museum worker asked if anyone knew what those paddles were and Isaiah piped up and said he knew. I was pretty proud of him for remembering that.

Not too sure what this photo is all about but I'm sure the boys are learning something very interesting.

Most likely ordering something from an old Sears & Roebuck catalog. Again, just a guess.

Here the boys are demonstrating their carpentry skills.

Isaiah is practicing for some sort CDL, I'm sure.

Isaiah was thrilled that Grammy could attend his field trip and I think Mom had a pretty good time too.

Colonial Dinner

Yesterday Isaiah's school concluded the big 2nd grade social studies unit on Colonial times. They've been learning all kinds of neat things about the Pilgrims in particular. His school has an annual celebration that grandparents attend. The 2nd graders are allowed to invite two grandparents to the Colonial Dinner. My mom and dad were scheduled to go but at the last minute my grandma was able to come from Milwaukee to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. This means my mom and grandma were the lucky ducks ate a traditional turkey dinner with Isaiah at lunchtime yesterday.
Great-Grammy and Isaiah. Notice the neat Pilgrim hat Isaiah made.

Great-Grammy, Grammy and Isaiah, awaiting the Thanksgiving feast that the amazing lunch ladies put together.

Isaiah with the best 2nd grade teacher ever, Mrs.F.

After the dinner an elderly lady, 80 years old, got up to speak of the earlier times in America. I believe she was speaking more of the early 20th century America versus Pilgrim times. This lady was apparently a teacher in a one-room school and was speaking on the importance of women's aprons, at the time. Isaiah knows that my grandma is 87 years old and he did the math. Isaiah figured that Great-Grammy was 7 years old when the speaker was born. In his 2nd grade mind I believe he thought the speaker to be telling of her personal experience with Colonial times. This lead to the question he asked my grandma.

"Great-Grammy, does this mean YOU were a Pilgrim, too?"

I am very thankful Grandma has a wonderful sense of humor as she was laughing when she told me what Isaiah said.

Chiquita

I received the following information regarding bananas in an email sent to me by my mom.

BANANAS - very interesting A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about bananas. He said the expression 'going bananas' is from the effects of bananas on the brain. Read on:

This is interesting.After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking &Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, 'A banana a day keeps the doctor away!'PASS IT ON TO YOUR FRIENDS

PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time!

I will add one here; want a quick shine on our shoes?? Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe...polish with dry cloth. Amazing fruit !!!


This is what I read while eating our dessert this evening. Know what we had for dessert? The banana cream pie I made yesterday afternoon. Also, I made two loaves of banana bread today. Weird.

Update #2

I thought I'd update you all on my mom. Once in awhile somebody asks me about Mom so....here we go.

As you can see she has no problem gallivanting up north for week and fishing for hours on end in the boat with Dad. This is good.

Mom did have a check-up recently to go over the residual affects of the Bell's Palsy. Her good eye is actually the one causing a bit of concern. If I understood correctly the good eye was over working and, as a result, started to get a little droopy. This happens sometimes. The doctor said as long as it doesn't get worse and interfere with her vision, there is nothing that needs to be done. If, however, it does start to droop into her line of sight then my mom gets to go in for reconstructive surgery. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd say that about my mom. Ha!

Thank you all for your prayers. We appreciate them. Mom is doing great and one can't even tell she ever had that goofy virus in the first place. She healed very, very fast. Yeah!

Parade

On Sunday the kids and I walked in our town's parade. We were walking with our 4H club, handing out 4H information and candy. It was great fun. My folks and sister came up to watch the parade and assist with the transportation problem of starting the parade at one end of town with our vehicle and ending the parade at the complete opposite end of town without our vehicle. Mom and I finally figured out a plan that did not require us to walk all the way back to the beginning of the parade. Matthew is still out of town so it's nice to have their help in matters such as these. Also, it's always fun to be able to look for people you know while walking in the parade. Very fun. Here are some shots of the day.



Here we are walking up to Mom, Dad and Sally during the parade. Notice our lovely 4H shirts.












Apparently one of the parade units ahead of us was handing out flowers. This is what my dad decided to do with the flower. Nice.











After Isaiah and I finished our route we headed back to Mom, Dad, Sally and Anna and finished watching the parade.


I love this. I was taking the picture and Isaiah was watching this set of antique cars driving by, the cars were zig-zagging in the street back and forth. Well, I guess it appeared as though one of the cars was going to bump into me. I love how Isaiah is half worried and half laughing at the same time. Anna's sort of thinking , "Yikes".








This is just plain classic. Here we have Sally, Isaiah and Dad showing us their "eating very chewy candy" faces. Anna is very intent on the next parade unit. That's my mom. You can hardly even see the evidence of Bell's Palsy. Thanks again for all the prayers.

All in all it was a very fun day.

Art Barn

On Saturday Isaiah, Anna and myself, along with my mom and sister, Sally, went to the Art Barn. The Art Barn was having their annual Art Extravaganza in which you pay 5$ and have a whole slough of art projects to have fun making. We went last year while we were scoping out the area we wanted to move to. We had fun then and, now that we're locals, wanted to partake in the fun again.

My favorite station is the Raku pottery. The pottery is already made and fired and all we do is choose what we want to glaze, paint on the glaze and then the pottery professionals fire it again. Isaiah chose a stagecoach, Anna a turtle, Mom and Sally bowls and I chose a pencil holder. I love seeing what they look like after they come out of the wheelbarrow filled with sawdust. I think in traditional Raku the 2nd phase of the firing process is done in the ground.

We also did some dyeing of T-shirts. The dye was in spray bottles so it wasn't officially tie-dying, I thought it was more fun actually. Before the kids sprayed we added masking tape and foam shapes to act as a resist to the dye. After the shirts dried we took off the tape and foam and voila - a masterpiece.

After the shirt dying and pottery Isaiah and Anna made puppets, duct tape hats, got their faces painted, painted rocks and decorated bookmarks with golf balls rolled in paint. As the name of the day implies it IS an Art Extravaganza. It was lots of fun.

My Mom

I thought I'd share how my mom is doing with her Bell's Palsy. Thank you Jessica, for asking.

The doctor had said the nerves in her eye were pretty damaged. She, for awhile, was needing to tape her eye shut at night time. It wouldn't close on it's own. Mom needed to use drops as well so her cornea wouldn't dry out.

She's had a few appointments to check on the progress and her eye is doing just fine and the cornea itself is not harmed.

Mom is improving and we all can tell the nerves are getting better. It's a slow process but when I only see her once or twice a week I can tell the difference. She no longer needs tape at night and she can close her eye about halfway, her other eye is squinting really hard at the same time so I can tell she is really having to try to get that left eye shut. It's much better though, than it was in the beginning. Also, her mouth and speech are noticeably improved.

I've heard of people having Bells' for a week and some a year. I guess Nancy, from the PBS show Sewing with Nancy has Bell's. Apparently she had it as a child and the nerves never improved. I'm very thankful mom's is really improving. Mom's had her Bell's Palsy for about 5 weeks now. I'm hoping there's complete recovery and so far it's looking good.

For those that prayed and have been praying, thank you. We appreciate your prayers.

Prayer Request

I have a prayer request I'd like to let you all know about. My mom was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy this past weekend. If I understand correctly, Bell's is a viral thing that needs to run it's course and this may last from 3-6 months.


She's on a few medications to help this clear up quicker. Mom has said nothing hurts her and she doesn't "feel" sick in anyway. Mostly, her eye is bothersome as she's unable to close her left eyelid. She has salve to keep her eye hydrated and she's to tape it closed at bedtime. Also, eating or drinking is challenging due to the paralysis on that side. I believe it's much like having Novocaine at the dentist. She doesn't taste anything on that side of her mouth either.


My mom's name is Barbara and if you've a chance I would appreciate prayer that the virus could run it's course quickly. Mom seems to be in great spirits over the whole thing and, as I mentioned, she doesn't feel sick nor is she uncomfortable. I think this is just a bothersome thing that probably makes her family more upset than it does herself.

Thank you, blog friends.