The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
(This will all look and work better if you click on the actual post and do not remain on the main page.)
See these two guys on the roof of our stable here?
These are homeschooled brothers. They've worked with their parents (our dear friends with a lot of kids, one income, a fixer-upper of a house, and endless cheerfulness) enough on carpentry projects and really all projects so that they can fix the roof of my shed pretty much on their own (out of the picture their dad is there — he stopped by to supervise them for a bit to be sure they got it right, but all week they've been here on their own). They are earning money for their plans and helping us out, all at once.
They are 16 and 14.
You too can have this in your life. Competent, fun, polite, awesome young people who can do things and carry on a conversation with the three-year-old and the 67-year-old. And who can fix the roof of a stable.
You have to hang in there. It doesn't happen overnight. And most of it comes with a big dose of sacrifice. Dad working multiple jobs; Mom homeschooling and using up, wearing out, and making do; kids pitching in.
This is our collective memory in action!
This is why we are here at LMLD. Our entire existence is to encourage you that it's all worth it!
◊ I've contacted our winners — if you aren't one of them, do find your way to Mr. Mehan's Mildly Amusing Mythical Mammals and if you are so moved, leave a review on Amazon! It really helps with popping the book up on searchers' feeds. Thank you!!
◊ And about the St. Greg's Pockets — if you have started one or are reviving one, feel free to drop Sukie a line (lmldblog at gmail dot com) and we will shout out here so people know to find you.
One question that comes up is “what if I really, really do not want to be on Facebook.” The reason we go through there is that the group can be closed, which makes it safer for you. You can vet someone before they join, but people can find you. It isn't a normal FB group in that the purpose is not to interact there — other than to say something like “Couples' Discussion at such and such pub, get your babysitters and let's meet!” or “I'll be at the X playground today from 2 to 4 with my kids — swing by if you're available!” or “Here's the link for a meal train for so-and-so!”
But if you really, really still do not want to be on FB (and you can't just use your sister's login to check on your St. Greg's Pocket), email Sukie and she will figure out if your group has an email they are willing to share.
On to our links!
- The masculinizing effects of the Pill. Who would have thought that taking a cocktail of synthetic hormones to correct a normal functioning of the body would have unwanted consequences? (One point: the article states, about the Pill's contraceptive function: “Even if an egg slips out and becomes fertilised, it won’t be able to settle down and start growing. So far, so good.” Well, no, not good. Preventing a fertilized egg from implanting is aborting a developing child, and the levels of hormones are not high enough to prevent ovulation, as is often assumed. To be honest, the Pill's purveyors should be clear: the function of this birth control is actually usually achieved by abortion, not by contraception.)
From the archives:
- I'm recovering my quilting energy, I think. Are you making anything these days? Here's one from a while ago that I like a lot.
- Affirmation in the thick of things. The sacrifice is worth it.
Monday is the feast of St. Gregory! This is a saint for our times. Maybe invite a few friends over for Labor Day and have a good talk about how you will build your culture.
We’d like to be clear that, when we direct you to a site via one of our links, we’re not necessarily endorsing the whole site, but rather just referring you to the individual post in question (unless we state otherwise).
Mignon says
We love the D’Aulaire books around here! In fact, it was the beautiful and inspiring story of Leif the Lucky that prompted us to name our newest addition to the family after that noble Viking saint!
Melisa says
We like the d/Aulaire books, too! We have Leif the Lucky, Buffalo Bill, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln. They’re all a joy to read: beautiful illustrations and they read like a story.
I appreciated the BBC article about the Pill. I volunteered early in my marriage at a crisis pregnancy center and voraciously read everything they had there about artificial birth control and it’s dangers for women (and the obvious threat to unborn babies), as well as the whys of Church teaching on these forms of birth control…I was able to warn my younger sisters about the dangers of the Pill, but this was before IUD’s were really the ‘thing’. Are you aware of any good articles on IUD’s? And, besides prayer, how can you really persuade women not to use these awful devices? I have a sister and a good friend who use these, and I’m just flummoxed as to how they are seemingly so unaware of the hazards. Our culture sure does a good job of making many women feel as though they’re somehow doing a good thing – their duty even – by using artificial birth control to space their babies.
Loved the story about the 99 year old man so devoted to his wife. Beautiful…
Shyla says
I am absolutely inspired by this little snippet of those boys working on your shed. As another year of homeschooling begins, and mothers are screaming FREEDOM as their children get shuffled on the school bus (and I’m fighting selfish feelings) this is just what I needed to see/hear. What a blessing to all! Xoxo
Melissa D says
I LOVE the little boys watching the big boys!
Elizabeth says
I’d read the BBC article on the pill earlier this week and have been pondering ever since… just how many feminine qualities have we lost, as western civilization, since hormonal contraception has become norm for the majority of women? Taking the pill for 3 decades is nothing out of the ordinary in the life of a woman, the impact of that on her personality, marriage, raising children, and so many aspects of life, I can’t wrap my head around… and I just wonder what feminists have to say on that.
Mary Keane says
I’m going to explain some of the devious mental gymnastics that gets the Pill to be categorized as a contraceptive but not an abortifacient. It took me ages to wrap my head around, but if you’re talking to someone pro-pill chances are they think this way and you will be using the same words with completely different understanding.
The key is the location, not the fertilization status, not the development of the child. Pregnancy according to current medical literature begins at implantation, not fertilization. See, the child is irrelevant. Only the mother’s body matters. Nothing changes in her body until implantion happens. If there is no *pregnancy* there can be no abortion. And if the pill prevents implantation, it prevents pregnancy and preventing pregnancy is contraception. Ergo, the pill is contraceptive.
Saying the pill is abortifacient will get you nowhere because those terms have been redefined. Saying the Pill works by causing the death a developing child is undeniable. Not that you’ll change their mind, but they won’t be able to smugly think of you as a stupid anti-choicer quite so easily. And some pro-life people might think twice about using the pill themselves. So that’s something.
L. Daily says
As soon as I read your twitter comments, I knew you were yet another carpetbagger convert making a buck off the church. One possible positive result of this abuse crisis might be that those looking to monetize their conversion story and homeschooling status will leave in search of another perfect church to exploit. Then we Catholics can begin to rebuild our church.
Leila says
Dear L. Daily — your theory breaks down in that I have not “sold” my conversion story at all (although I have been asked for it on Journey Home, a show I did without being paid, as do all the guests), nor is any aspect of my social media monetized, other than a few pennies from Amazon when someone buys a book I recommend.
I only posted your rude comment so that I could make all this clear to other readers. This site has no ads; I get no money from it. I rarely talk about my conversion. I did homeschool and I try to give my experiences to help others starting out.
God bless,
Leila
Lori says
Leila, I have read a great deal about the Pill, and I feel compelled to gently offer a correct here. The pill primarily works by suppressing ovulation, not by inhibiting implantation. Most of the time, it works by blocking the release of the egg. And though it does occasionally prevent
implantation when an egg slips through (which rarely happens), this effect also occurs when the uterine lining is thin due to menstruation or many other reasons. Women who practice NFP rely on these periods of an inhospitable uterine lining — as well as periods in between ovulation — to space their pregnancies. Furthermore, every woman who makes love with her husband during her menstrual period or just afterwards risks releasing a fertilized egg into an inhospitable environment. In fact, scientists estimate that half or more fertilized eggs fail to implant!
If knowingly acting so as to conceive when the uterine lining is thin is tantamount to abortion, most women would be murderers many times over.
Leila says
Dear Lori, no, I’m sorry, you are mistaken, both in your facts and in your conclusions, however gently offered 🙂
The old pill may — may– have had enough hormones to inhibit ovulation; it was found to be too detrimental to the woman’s health. The hormone levels were lowered. The Pill definitely works by making the uterine lining unwelcome to the developing child. (As does the IUD.) The makers of the Pill know this, even if women do not.
By definition there is no ovum to be fertilized during infertile period. The body is made to offer a hospitable womb to a developing embryo when conception is possible.