Thoughtworthy (Straightener Brush, Addition Facts, Read Alouds, and MORE!)

 

:: 1 ::

Always experimenting with hair around here … we recently acquired a Dafni Hair Straightening Ceramic Brush. Turns out, we love it. A-Age-12 really doesn’t like me to touch her hair. I suppose it’s just as well since Doing Hair is not among my list of talents. But still, she’s getting older and it’s time for her to do a little more with her mop than brushing Mother Nature’s residue out of it.

This brush seemed promising, so we tried it (I found one for quite a bit cheaper than they are offered on Amazon) and I am duly impressed. It only took a few minutes, but it made her hair look ten times better. I’d post a photo of the back of her head except that she won’t let me. Her hair kinks a bit if she falls asleep at night with it still a bit wet — this took that right out.

I tried it on my hair. You all know my hair is curly. The verdict? Straightening my hair still takes more time and energy than I’m willing to expend, but technically it works, and much easier than using a flat iron.

 

:: 2 ::

The Autumn 2017 session of Charlotte Mason Boot Camp starts on Monday! I’m thrilled! It looks like we’ve got a great group (well, two groups, actually) this time. I have a secret: I love that CMBC forces me to go back over the basics again and again. It’s a discipline in my life that has proven to do me good.

For those of you who didn’t get in: yes, we plan, Lord willing, to have spring, summer, and fall sessions in 2018.

 

:: 3 ::

Did you know there was a shooting at a Tennessee church on Sunday? I didn’t want this to get buried in my other links. This poor, poor church, shot up by a Sudanese immigrant who had previously attended their services. Pray for their healing.

 

:: 4 ::

If you follow me on Instagram, you already know that we’ve really been enjoying Kate Snow’s Addition Facts That Stick.

One of my children has found fact memorization next to impossible. This is the first time it’s felt within our reach! We’re only on week 2 so I’ll try to report back when we’re done.

 

:: 5 ::

This month in 2009:

WHOA. I didn’t realize how long it’s been since the original Leisure: The Basis of Culture book club hosted by Cindy Rollins that started it all. It was eight years ago this month that we began reading! I had heard of scholé before that; joining the club was my first grasp at trying to understand it. This club was, in many ways, the place where Scholé Sisters got its start, though we didn’t know it at the time.

 

:: 6 ::

This week’s links collection:

• Subcutaneous injections of aluminum at vaccine adjuvant levels activate innate immune genes in mouse brain that are homologous with biomarkers of autism from The Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry
  • “Everyone” thinks “everyone” worries about mercury in vaccines, but we’re in luck: the US switched most of that out and moved to aluminum years ago. The only problem is that that might be a problem.
• A CURRICULUM OF LIFE from First Things
  • This was intriguing: “The problem I’ve found in “home schooling,” “classical education,” and even “unschooling” is metaphysical: they carry all the trappings of schooling through their somewhat defensive approaches. They may not be brick and mortar institutions, but they have something like a psychology of institutions; they think in many of the same ways. One of these ways is in their approach to curriculum. A curriculum for school is just what it says: a curriculum for school. It is self-serving; preparing people for degrees for employment for raises for retirement and so on. But when do we prepare for life and death? For theosis?”
• Researchers Studying Century-Old Drug in Potential New Approach to Autism from UC San Diego
  • I happened to run across someone who knew someone whose child was in this study — said the problem is that the drug can build up to toxic levels. But maybe it’s a lead?
• 1,000-Year-Old Illustrated Manuscript of Herbal Remedies Available Online from My Modern Met
  • Oh my word, I think it’d be fun to try out some of these recipes!
• Tadpole Research: Homeopathic Remedies Harmed by Mobile (Cell) Phones and Microwave Ovens from Homeopathy Plus!
  • For those of you who keep homeopathic remedies on hand, even if it’s just arnica, take note: it matters where and how you store them.

 

:: 7 ::

Current read alouds:

 

Yes, yes, we have two. I’m a read aloud addict, you know.

We have to have two. One is for when my husband is at work or otherwise occupied. The children and I read it aloud at lunch most days, and grab other opportunities as they present themselves. The other is our family read aloud — when we are all together, we read that one. This allows us to have something we’re reading when my husband is out — we don’t have to worry that he’s missing anything.

A couple years ago, when my oldest had some evening activities, we had a third read aloud to do as a family when he was away. It’s nice to be down to only two books; we finish quicker (relatively speaking).

Have I mentioned I’ve grown to love Andrew Peterson’s writing? For reals.