adventures in home-making

Pear-Goat Cheese Tarts.

• 1 (15 oz. package refrigerator pie crusts
• 2 4 oz. packages goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 or 2 ripe pears, chopped
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1. Unfold the piecrusts and cut each in half; cut each half into 3 pieces. Place 1 piece into a lightly greased muffin cup in a muffin pan. Fold and press pastry piece to form a cup shape. Repeat procedure with remaining pastry pieces. 

2. Kiss your husband and kids.

3. Bake at 375 for 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove pan to a wire rack for cooling.

4. Stir together goat cheese and next 3 ingredients. Spoon evenly into pastry shells. 

5. Bake at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove to a wire rack and let cool for about two minutes.

Pecan-Havarti Quesadilla with Pear Preserves.

Sprinkle one side of an 8-inch flour tortilla (or whole-wheat tortilla) with 1/3 cup shredded Havarti cheese; top with 2 tablespoons chopped, toasted pecans. Fold tortilla over filling. Coat a skillet with vegetable cooking oil or cooking spray and cook quesadilla over medium-high heat for 2 minutes on each side or until cheese melts. Remove from heat, slice into wedges, and serve with pear preserves drizzled on top. 

Max becomes a Wolf Cub Scout...

 

 

And Patrick gets to have his face painted again...  

 

Micah does not like the face paint. Not one bit. She keeps pointing at it and inquiring, "Wah iz Dat?"

 

Eggplant parmesan, a cervix-ripening recipe.

Am I craving eggplant because rumor has it that eggplant ripens the cervix? Or am I craving a ripe cervix and therefore eggplant? Far be it from me to think too hard about such things. Off to the kitchen with the nice, cheap eggplant I just purchased from Richard's Market Basket, a farmer's market in Northport.

MINI EGGPLANT PARMESAN

• 1 eggplant, washed and thinly sliced
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 3 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
• 1 cup grated Parmesan and Asiago cheese
• 5 leaves fresh basil from the garden

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes on each side. In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan and Asiago cheeses. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Garnish with fresh basil.

Eggplant Parmesan alla Scalini's, the recipe known by residents of Cobb County, Georgia, to help kick-start labor.

Make some new ears.

 

 
 

12 beautiful things we saw today.

1. A group of guys and gals adding a mosaic to the front of Mellow Mushroom. It looked like the sun had splattered all over the brick. Beautiful.
2. The kids with peach juice dribbling down their chins.
3. Max's peace juice splatter painting.
4. Watermelons on sale at Richard's Market. (We bought two.)
5. A new National Geographic in the mail.
6. One happy dog named Lucy in a car on her way to the dog park.
7. Max playing piano using the pedal for effect.
8. Neat old scarves at a yard sale- just the right size to cover a nursing mother and her sprite.
9. Clouds just passing through, riding the winds.
10. Magnolia flowers blossoming on our magnolia tree.
11. Two healthy and hyperactive children who are too excited about life to get bogged down by hair combings, shoes, or the various props we attribute to civilized life.
12. A clock announcing Patrick's imminent arrival.

 

Gardens and good germs.

From the news today:

 

Researchers looked at mycobacterium vaccae, a kind of natural bacteria that's found in soil. People ingest or breathe in the germ when they spend time in nature, researcher Dorothy Matthews of The Sage Colleges in Troy, N.Y., said in a news release.

Previous research suggested that the germ, when heat-killed and injected into mice, boosted levels of serotonin and lowered anxiety levels. Since serotonin levels are associated with learning, Matthews and her colleague Susan Jenks decided to feed the live bacteria to mice and see if they did a better job of learning a maze than control mice who were not fed the germ.

The mice who ate the bacteria "navigated the maze twice as fast and with less demonstrated anxiety behaviors as control mice," Matthews said.

The mice did a better job navigating the maze even after they stopped dining on the bacteria, the researchers reported, although a statistically significant effect appeared to disappear three weeks later.

The findings suggest that the germs "may play a role in anxiety and learning in mammals," Matthews said, and speculated it's possible that "creating learning environments in schools that include time in the outdoors," where the germ is commonly found, "may decrease anxiety and improve the ability to learn new tasks."

Meanwhile, the garden is so happy this year! Patrick tilled and turned the soil just right last year for such a quick turnaround (especially on the tomatoes) this year. Squash and cucumbers, which I planted too close together, are competing for the climbing wires. I just love walking out there every day and seeing what novelties are sprouting...

 

 

Our new fence.

Thanks so much to my husband, Mike, Ricky, and my mom for this wonderful, just-in-time-for-baby gift!

 

Love letters from our Netflix queue.

Unlike last year, in which many nights were spent walking colicky Micah around the house and yard until she gave up the ghost, THIS year has been given us a little more husband-wife time in the evening. Enter our Netflix queue... lots of movies, late-night conversations, and tired mornings after movie marathons, the lesson being that we just might be in the phase of life where being tired is the norm.

Sleepiness aside, several movies stood out and might even go on a list of favorites somewhere. (Granted, there was one which Patrick liked but I detested and I've left that off the list.) If you get the chance to watch them, let us know- we've stayed up late talking about them and are usually willing to do so again...

I should add that none of the films below are suitable for children, and Dogville is very difficult to watch at various points, an excellent film but extremely disturbing.

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
   

 
 
 
 
 
 

More photos from our weekend in the Georgia mountains with the Coryell clan.

 

 The kids loved throwing rocks. Everywhere.

 
 

To invert or not?

We have an inversion table in our garage- a blessing when it came to dealing with my lower back pain after Micah's birth. Now I am considering using it in my ninth month of pregnancy to relieve the pressure on my hip bones and to (possibly) turn the baby. Inversion therapy has been used to treat back pain since 400 BC, but does it have any harmful effects for me or the baby? So tempted by the table....

A waterfall near the Ajanta caves in India.

Coping with pain in labor.

"Pain is only pain, unless we resist it, when it becomes torment."

    I Ching

Patrick and I missed the childbirth class refresher courses at our local hospital and I confess to having being slack on the breathing and relaxation preparation this time. Life is faster than the fireflies Max and I failed to catch the other night.

My ob-gyn is wonderful about only conducting the most minimal and necessary tests, which has meant one ultrasound during this pregnancy. Unfortunately, our medical insurance does not cover the full cost of even ONE ultrasound, so we are left to pay the remainder. 

I wish I could say we are ready for the baby in all the ways modern American babymaking implies, but we are really only ready to welcome the baby in our Patrick-and-Alina-minimalist kind of way. Right now, it feels as if her head is pressing on my lower right hip bone and she seems to prefer this location. She is certainly not engaged in my pelvic region, and I'd be surprised if I were dilating or effacing at all. Perhaps it is time to try some optimal fetal positioning exercises... and get back to practicing my labor breathing.

More resources for dealing with labor pain in creative and constructive ways:

 

• "Pain in Labor" at Mothering Magazine
• Labor oils to mix for pain during labor
• Using lunges to turn a posterior baby
• Heat therapy with a rice sock
• Cold therapy
• Managing back labor
• Basic relaxation breathing techniques
• Tense-release relaxation technique
• Abdominal breathing for childbirth
• Hypnobirthing
• Labor cubes

And a few really, really thought-provoking articles about natural childbirth and childbirth more generally:

• "The Rule of 10 versus Women's Primal Wisdom" by Lydi Owen
• "From Routine Episiotomy to Routine C-Section: How our society came from rejecting one to embracing another" by Dr. Michael C. Klein
• "Breech Presentation" by Richard Fischer MD
• "A Timely Birth" by Gail Hart
• Free Natural Birth Stories book download compiled by Sherri Minelli
• "When A Baby Needs to Be Born" by Village Midwife

Oil spills and soft spots.

When I was a child, I would often wake up on Saturday mornings with my little sister rocking in the hull of our little Hunter 27 sailboat on the Gulf of Mexico. Summers were filled with weekends at various marinas eating tuna fish sandwiches in our life jackets waiting to see where Mom and Dad would take us next with their navigation charts. So the oil spill breaks my heart because it looms, like a heart attack, with a mixture of inevitability and dread. If the oil hits the beaches of Orange Beach or gets to the Intercoastal Waterway, then our family investments will suffer and a gorgeous natural land will be damaged. 

Unlike the damage from a hurricane, which can be cleaned up with lots of money and manpower, the damage from an oil spill is neither easily cleaned nor easily quantified. There are the human costs, the Sean Johnsons of this world. Johnson who owns a seafood processing business, prays alongside the rest of the family at the Saint Michael's Church in Coden, Alabama, on May 16. Johnson is worried that the spill may cost him his business.

 

 

Rows of fishing boats sit idly on the docks at Bayou La Batre, Alabama. All fishing on the Gulf Coast has been shutdown. How scary that must be for generations of fishermen who have learned the trade through the family business and expected to pass it on to their sons and daughters.

There are the ecological costs- the loss of natural resources, wildlife habitats, campgrounds, water (for all those who know what it is like to live through southern drought season, water is a big deal), bits and pieces of the beautiful natural landscape of America. You can see the wetlands near the mouth of the Mississippi River, home to many an American legend and tall tale, below.

There are the political and economic costs. For example, this negligent spill will make it more difficult for responsible companies to conduct offshore drilling in America. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger officially withdrew his support for a plan to expand oil drilling off the California coast a few weeks ago.

All this is very close to heart and home for me. Here is how the oil spill looked from a helicopter near Mobile a week ago:

 

My sister-in-law, Ashley, is in the hospital dilating. The doctors are trying to hold back labor until Friday, when she will be 34 weeks and the steroid shots will have taken. That means that Friday may bring Baby Jack and Baby Sam into our lives!!! We are so excited, nervous, and moonpie-faced for Ashley and Bradley right now.

I've been fortunate to have a "mother's helper" this week- a mother's helper named Emma whom Micah calls "Momma". Picky little Micah has really take to Emma, and even chooses to be in her arms over mine quite regularly. (Below you can see the garden pea seeds in the packet before Micah ate half of them.)

 

Weekly inspirations.

Little Family's big-kid bibs.

 Little Family's Mobiles "Coeurs".

Seaweed pinafore from Greenedgekids.

 A unicorn party for wee lasses.

A burlap handbag from maya made.

               Linen scarves big enough to nurse under.

 

 Elsa's nursery.

 

Another option for this weekend.

 

Alabama Blues Project downtown stroll.

 

As part of the The Year of Alabama Small Towns & Downtowns, historic downtown Northport will have a walking tour on May 22, 2010 that will include the Alabama Blues Project. From 1-6 p.m., there will be live music with Music Maker's Dr. G.B. Burt, our Advanced Blues Camp Band, and a jam session of Alabama musicians present - including the Blues Camp Instructors and the ABP Intermediate Band. Also,  you can get a sneak peak of what we have to offer in our goal of a Living Blues Museum. There will be a Blues History Exhibition Tour where you can soak in all things Alabama blues! 

From a Tiger to a Wolf Cub.

Tomorrow, Max will receive his Tiger Cub Badge! We are so excited! Here is a taste of the music he will perform to the tune of "Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?".

 

 

Where, oh where have our Tiger Cubs gone?

Oh where, oh where can they be?

Are they behind that tree

Playing hide and go seek?

Oh where, oh where can they be?

 

Where, oh where have our Tiger Cubs gone?

Oh, where, oh where can they be?

Have they all headed home

Feeling sad and alone?

Oh where, oh where can they be?

 

Where, oh where have our Tiger Cubs gone?

Oh where, oh where can they be?

They have finished their task

They are Wolf Cubs at last

As on the Scout Trail they proceed.

 

Micah's hairy toes.

 Micah's latest trick = running her toes through my hair to put herself to sleep. 

The discomforts of motherhood = always worth the sleep of our sweeties.

 

 

A visit to the Field of Dreams park.

Max's Tiger Cub group met at the Field of Dreams last Monday, so Micah and I decided to explore the playground as well. For those unfamiliar with this playground, it is located at Verner Elementary north of the river. Although the weather was nippy, Max played like a maniac. 

Then Max and Body twirled on the tire until Max got his first bout of motion sickness. Nothing helped until the magic copper bracelet appeared on his wrist.

  

 

 

While Mike and Patrick worked on our fence....

The backyard bubbled with chess games, slip n' slide, baby pools, mud puddles, Mallory, naked Gabe, and various others.

     

An interview with Mr. Max Coryell about Dogland.

Maxwell Coryell, the 6-year-old discoverer of Dogland, is constantly sharing stories with others about this marvelous place. Since some lands disappear, I wanted to learn more about Dogland for the purpose of preserving a historical record should a natural calamity ever befall this special land. 

Where is Dogland and how can it be reached, if at all, by those of us who live in Alabama?

"Dogland is under the sea, so we would have to go scuba diving to get to it and of course I can't do that because I have tubes in my ears."

Who lives in Dogland? Describe these people or creatures and tell me what language they use to communicate.

"Well no one right now but the fishies live in Dogland, but when it was above the sea and when dogs lived on it, it was a real culture. Mostly a warrior culture, Dogland had an Indian-Roman-Celtic appearance. Their language was mainly Barklanguage, but they also (in some areas) used English. They also used symbols."

What symbols did they use? Why did they use these symbols?

"The dogs used a symbol called DO. Other symbols they used were: RE, ME, IE, VET, and SIN. DO means 'hush, do not bark'. It looks like a cross with a diagonal line across it. RE means 'music'; it looks like a hanger with a cross on it. ME means 'you'; it looks like DO except that it has two diagonal lines across it. IE means 'what is it' and looks like Jesus' cross. VET means 'i am so excited' and looks like a tilting cross. SIN means 'mercy' or 'glory'; it depends on how you say it. 

Who is the leader of Dogland and under what kind of government does Dogland operate?

"There is no one leader of Dogland because Dogland has a quadranate government, which has four rulers. It is like two Roman Senates at the time of Caesar Augustus."

Explain what you mean by two Roman Senates. How does this apply to having four rulers?

"I am basically using a parable. The parable means that if two consuls at the time of Julius Caesar were put together and made to rule a country, that would be four rulers. That is a quadranate government."

Were there any women or she-dog rulers?

"There were. In fact, many times did it happen that the government had all four rulers as she-dogs."

What is the capital of Dogland?

"The capital of Dogland is Arftown. This is true for all dates except the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries."

What happened to Dogland at the "last minute of the twentieth century"?

" Lots of ice on the frozen Arctic Ocean melted and submerged Dogland. The dogs swam toward everywhere. Some dogs came to Alabama and might tell you about Dogland if you ask them right and if you understand Barklanguage. I understand all their languages."

Thank you Sir Max for sharing this introduction to Dogland with us. I am sure we will have another interview some time in the near future to learn more about particular historical happenings in Dogland.

20 things that made me smile this morning.

1. Little green tomatoes sprouting on three of my tomato plants.

2. The story Max wrote about the Bode Empire, a place outside of Dogland which has captured his imagination. I'm beginning to wonder how much longer Dogland will exist.

3. Rogueclassicism.

4. Unicorns, Dragons, and Other Magical Creatures Lesson Plan.

5. The lingering scent of honeysuckle in the air.

6. Patrick's enthusiasm for Inside-Out Prison Ministry, where he will be spending some time this evening.

7. The Adios Lounge.

8. A whole pot of steamed squash, zucchini, and onions sitting on the stove.

9. Under African Skies - Paul Simon

10. Vintage Pixie Cap pattern in pdf format.

11. Verbenas, a pot of roses, and one more tomato plant left to plant.

12. Delivering a sympathy card to dear Mr. Hamner who lives down the street. He and his wife shared such a beautiful, long, long life together....

13. That fence in our future, so close I can almost smell the pine.

14. Mallory and Gabe coming to visit for the weekend- something about those two makes me so so happy. 

15. How to build a meat cart bed. Because I think that might be the next step in our co-sleeping cowabunga. The king-size family bed has everyone sleeping in different directions. 

16. Remembering how much Micah adored Quale, David and Linda Beito's baby daughter. I can now be genuinely hopeful about Canaan's arrival (if only we could be certain that her name will be Canaan).

17. Having a house too small for a nursery to accommodate our coming baby. How wonderful not having to worry about decorating and furnishing a whole new room! I am so much happier since we down-sized...

18. Max's first piano recital coming this June.

19. That tingling feeling in my ribs which can only be the baby and which can only mean she is growing and which must mean that I have her dropping to anticipate.

20. The baby bunny hidden in a pine-straw den crafted by his mommy under a large pine in our front yard.

A linen church blanket.

An old friend of mine by the name of Shannon Glass Smith is expecting her first baby girl any day now, so I stitched together a little linen church blanket that she can use in the warm summer months. Since I am not a big fan of the color pink, one side of the blanket is sky blue. I hope Shannon doesn't mind... I know blue is a "boy color" but I think it is so unfair that boys get the nice color while we have to look like Pepto Bismol or cream puffs...

When Patrick carved clover patches into the grass...

 

 

Bare feet, the scent of freshly-cut grass, ice cream, sunshine on shoulders, and all the little details that composed a perfect Saturday. 

 

 

Micah would not venture into the clover patch until Max went and plopped in the middle of it.... She kept fussing about ants being hidden in the clover. Her brother gives her courage to take the baby steps which lead to new places and new sights.

 

Max does the awesome supercalafragalistic twisty swing swirl while Micah watches with admiration and Mommy watches with envy.

One of Micah's latest ventures- showing off her belly at random moments. Might have something to do with the baby she claims to be carrying in her stomach or the three baby dolls that she lugs around everywhere (including the grocery store today).

 

The Blue Angels air show.

The weather couldn't have been better - sunny and breezy. We parked and snacked on grapes and Lo Mein because Patrick couldn't resist the allure of China Bob's in the strip mall nearby. Max yelled with excitement as each plane roared past. I was surprised by how much he enjoyed the Blue Angels air show. Micah, of course, was not impressed. She covered her ears and snuggled close when she saw the planes approach. At one point, she laid in the grass with her ear to the ground and the other ear covered by her fat little hand.

 

 
 
 

The whole family attends Micah's 2 -year doctor appointment.

I know our pediatrician's office is probably a little disturbed by the fact that every appointment is a family event, but that's the way we roll- together everywhere. At her 2-year appointment, Micah got a vaccine (we are on a delayed schedule), 3 staples removed from the back of her little head, and a generally satisfactory evaluation. As we waited for the doctor to arrive, Patrick and Max joked about toddler tyrants while Micah emptied my purse. 

 

Bed-sharing becomes illegal?

Finally Fox 6 does some good work.... I think the co-sleeping freak-out is a ridiculous way to frighten parents into alienating their children further and selling expensive infant cribs and bedding. If you watch the video, you will see that the lack of complexity with which these cases have been treated borders on racism. 

And how does the state government plan to make co-sleeping illegal? Will they check homes for cribs? Why not set up a Crib Police to operate out of the regular police departments?  Am I the only person who finds these trends disturbing?

What was involved in all the cases of SIDS while co-sleeping in the state of Milwaukee? All the babies were formula-fed. Go figure. 

Rolling, rolling, rolling.

 

 

  
 

Our adventure at Hurricane Creek.

Thanks to the hard work of the Alabama Rivers Alliance and the Hurricane Creekkeeper John Wathen, Hurricane Creek is now actually a park managed by PARA. A few weekends ago, we decided to take a family trip down to the Creek to check the water levels after the torrential rains. Max skipped ahead, while Micah was restrained by her harness and her dad's steady hand.

The waters were the highest I have ever seen them, and a number of kayakers took advantage of the exciting whitewater. Max and Micah dipped their toes into the water and twittered about the dark sand and shoes and other things parents just don't understand.

 

 

Since we couldn't go a weekend without an injury, the gods of fate decreed it was Max's turn to be injured. As he jumped around explaining how the creek empties into the Black Warrior, he cut the underside of his big toe on a piece of stone. He only stopped prancing when I pointed to the blood on the rocks. A big cut for a brave boy; Micah cried more than he did (she always cries when Max is upset). My kayak and canoe fantasies continue....

 

If you've never spent an afternoon at Hurricane Creek or if you would like to learn more about it, join the Friends of Hurricane Creek Facebook group. It is nothing short of a local treasure. 

 

 

If only I could remember what she was whinnying about...

 

Micah at Hurricane Creek.

I say "whinnying" because it feels like a euphemism for the truth, which is that Micah leans towards whining quite a bit. It is as if her voice can only move in progressively shriller cadences. ... Maybe piano lessons would help modulate it a bit. 

Just thinking about Dogland.

 

Learning about the Emperor Justinian's rule of Byzantium.

 

Max is studying the Byzantine empire, and I love exploring this particular slice of history with him. Born to peasant parents, Justinian became Emperor without the usual silver spoons and royal lineage. He might even be considered an example of meritocracy. Justinian's role in Byzantine history carries into the present day; his systematization of civil law into the Justinian Code remains characteristic of Western civilization (albeit with an "Eastern" origin).

One of the best resources so far comes from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which has a special page devoted to the Byzantine State under Justinian. You can find PDF copies of articles about the late Roman world, medieval church treasures, gold manuscripts, and more. More wonderful links to explore on and around this topic include:

• The Glory of Byzantium, including art and timeline
• "Drawing As An Art Form in Medieval Manuscripts", an hour-long video based on a past exhibit at the Met
• Excerpt from the Code of Justinian on "children of the unfree"
• Primary text issued by Justinian on the regulation of church ritual
• The Internet Medieval Sourcebook section on Justinian's rule, stocked with primary sources ripe for the picking
• Procopius' Secret History provides a less laudable account of Justinian's accomplishments
• "Justinian's Gold Mines", an article by an author with a Romanian-sounding last name about Justinian's possible gold mines
• St. Justinian the Emperor from the Orthodox Church of America. His feast day is November 14th.
• "Portrait Bust of a Young Lady of the Time of Justinian"
• Images of Hagia Sophia and Constantinople

This past weekend.

 

 

Micah insists on showing her "baby" in this photo as well. For those who didn't know, Micah is also pregnant and needs attention for her baby.

 

Max and Micah practice taekwondo.

See if you can guess in which photos they are shouting, "Heeee-yah!"

   

A little morning sprinkle for the garden.

 

 

Plus the picnic table which Micah received as a birthday gift from Suebee and Pops. The kids have installed themselves next to the garden.

 

Gardening with the kids.

Max and Micah have both been really involved in all my gardening attempts this spring. From the petunia garden which Max planted with Granma Vicki by the front door to the little bouquets of flowers which seem to sprout, ready-made, around the yard to the vegetable and herb garden which allowed me to practice squatting birthing positions while planting. As evidence of their involvement, we receive repeated compliments on the extent to which the dirt and grime beneath their nails is remarkable. 

As with all things in life, sometimes the grooves meet the bumps perfectly. Max just started studying botany this past week, so his grimy little paws alternate between patting dirt, watering the plants, and talking to green things. The noted scientist and plant-lover George Washington Carver used to sit and "listen" to the trees and plants around him as a child. He insists that this trained him to observe and appreciate nature.

Here is a photo of the Pet (Petunia) Garden planted by Max and Grandma Vicki:

 

 

We found two friendly little gnomes at Dirt Cheap and added them as Protectors of the Pet Garden. And this is a little pot of the citronella plants we found at Brown's Nursery:

You can fluff them up a bit when you go outside and the scent of citronella with all its mosquito-discouraging properties fills the air and covers your fingers. I appreciate not having to worry if the kids are playing with a citronella candle. And here is a little photo of the flowers and azaleas near the front door before the knockout roses bloomed and took over the patch:

For more gardening resources and nature notebooking ideas to entice munchkins:

• KidsGardening, a favorite
• Nature Notebook Podcasts with Jon Beam, free educational podcasts at Podcastblaster
• "Remember the Summer (and Beyond) with a Nature Notebook", a nice article
• Helpful Hints for Field Sketching
• A Database of Lichens in US National Parks
• Tree of Life Web Project
• Birdsleuth
• LifeScience at the Teachersdomain media classroom
• Pest World for Kids, a little biased against pests but full of good information
• The Slug Site
• Botany for Kids, another favorite

A few photos from David Oliver's visit.

David dropped in to spend the night and play darts a few weeks ago, which really made our week. Patrick loves David so much, and the distance gives them much to re-cover. David taught the kids to hunt four-leaf clovers and they have continued their earnest searches even in his absence.

 

 
 
 

Max's personal timeline.

Max's favorite subject remains history, and what is not to love when we are getting medieval? He has been getting a kick out of organizing data into timelines recently, and I thought I would share one of my favorite original Max timelines. He made this particular timeline during free time late last week. I'm keeping all his original spelling and punctuation for your viewing pleasure. The Romans are right around the corner...

AD 2003    King Maxamus I is born.

AD 2012    Maxamus I becomes king.

AD 2013    Alabama is controlled by pagan modern Anglo-Saxons.

AD 2015    The United States are controlled by Eralman Empire.

AD 2017    Maxamus II is born.

AD 2022    Maxamus III is born.

AD 2029    Maxamus II makes Christianity ilegal for 2 years.

AD 2031    Christianity is made legal again.

AD 2032    Chistianity becomes the official religion of the empire.

AD 2039    Dynasty No. 1 ends.

AD 2039    Dynasties 2 and 3 end.

Sometimes I think Max has learned more from homeschooling history in a few months than I learned during my entire elementary education....