Weekend linkage

1)

Five hundred years of female portraits in Western art. Guess what happens once we hit Picasso? All the women get really ugly, and it's considered avant-garde. I weep for humanity.

2)

If Upworthy reported on church history.  ("The Council Of Nicea met to discuss the identity of Christ. They had no idea what they were in for!")

3)

Ice cream flavors inspired by six favorite books. Too bad these aren't real.

But you know what are? Candles scented like your favorite books!

4)

Jump jump jump!

5)

Regrettable facts about life in infographic form.

6)

Five reasons why this is the greatest World Cup ever . . . from England's perspective.

If ever we wish to win again at the game we invented, [Rooney] suggested, then we will have to learn to cheat like all the filthy foreigners with their effeminate hairstyles, their casual fouling and their extravagant diving. But obviously we can't do that sort of thing because then we'd look like the kind of people who still live with their mothers and eat garlic on toast and ride around piazzas on mopeds. Which is why we prefer to lose because it shows our national superiority.

7)

Here, something serious for a change. "Is Mocking Women Really the Best Way to Sell Shampoo?" by Mollie Hemingway, who is awesome. (In my opinion, modern-day feminists are unbelievably confused and hypocritical. The mind boggles.)

I’m actually not of the mind that men and women need to act exactly the same in their vocations and relationships. I think that men and women being distinct is a feature, not a bug, of humanity. But if someone is going to change, why do feminists — and the capitalists who adopt their messaging — always seem to think women need to be more like men? Whether it’s about leaning in or not being pregnant or not letting children interfere too much with career or, now, not being polite — why is it always women who have to be more like men and not men who need to be more like women?

Weekend linkage

1)

No news on the jellybean front; it is growing, I assume, and I am still sick. This week I have looked in the mirror a few times and thought "Hey, I look pregnant!" which is nice. I dislike the in-between stage where you just look bloated and thick. Now I'm moving towards a legit bump.

We have moved Ellie to a one-nap schedule in an attempt to get her to sleep longer in the morning. It seems to have done the trick! Now she sleeps until 7 or even 7:30, rather than crowing us all awake at 6. And she seems much happier, too; she had been acting uncharacteristically cranky, and I chalk it up to insufficient sleep at night.

I think she comes close to eating her body weight some days. She's constantly snooping in the kitchen and making her signs for "food" or "water" . . . I don't know where she puts it all, because she is so tiny. She looks a little taller to me lately, but still, not chubby (apart from her bulbous baby belly).

2)

The funnies: "What the British Say and What They Really Mean." You can apply this to most of the World Cup commentators: "he's taken a bit of a tumble" means "he's gone sprawling head over heels across the pitch and is now writhing in agony."

The agony and ecstasy of life with a toddler. Reading books to Ellie is EXACTLY as they describe.

Prince George is not amused. The last one really makes me giggle.

"Client Feedback on the Creation of the Earth." Ha ha.

3)

This is the weirdest: "Sabbath Elevators." It makes me think of living alongside the Amish here in Lancaster. You can respect them for their stubbornness, but-- if you're me-- you mostly shake your head at their ingenious workarounds and wish they would just get cars so you don't get stuck behind a buggy for ten minutes on a winding road.

4)

Interesting if you have time for a long (and fairly graphic) read: Paul Fussell's "Thank God for the Atomic Bomb."

5)

"Inside an Amazon Warehouse." You may find this interesting if you purchase as much from Amazon as we do!

6)

I had a post published on Ricochet this week. The post itself isn't anything special-- it's a question about teaching American history, specifically, how one can honestly present our "warts" without compromising on our country's genuine greatness. The comments are the good part, as is typical of Ricochet (the only place I know on the internet where comments are reliably well-informed and civil, due in no small part to the fact that you have to pay for a membership in order to comment!).

ting tang walla walla bing bang

Linked up with Five Favorites.

"The Bishop looked thoughtfully about at the white jars on the shelves. 'You are very advanced in your theories of medicine, are you not, Monsieur Auclair?'

"'On the contrary, I am very old-fashioned. I think the methods of the last century better than those of the present time.'

"'Then you do not believe in progress?'

"'Change is not always progress, Monseigneur.' Auclair spoke quietly, but there was meaning in his tone."

-from Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather

In which, agreeing with M. Auclair in my skepticism of new-fangled drugs, I tell you about "natural medicine cabinet" items that get the job done.

1)

Arnica montana. This is a homeopathic remedy. While plenty of people have deemed homeopathy a total crock, do you know of another way to erase bruises and drastically reduce soreness without any side effects or fear of overdose, even for babies? Well?

I took it when I got my wisdom teeth out and had hardly any bleeding; I only needed two ibuprofen afterwards. I gave it to Ellie when she fell off the bed (bad mommy award), and the impending goose egg on her forehead vanished. I gave it to her again when she tumbled all the way` down the stairs, and she ended up with a bruise smaller than a kernel of corn, nothing more. I am not terribly familiar with homeopathy and couldn't provide you with a scientific defense, but arnica works.

These tablets are intended to dissolve in the mouth, not to be swallowed. If you need to give them to a child too young to know the difference, dissolve the recommended dosage in a few drops of water and administer it on a spoon.

2)

Oscillococcinum and elderberry syrup. Homeopathy once again! Oscillo kicks the flu in its nasty viral tush. I caught the flu a few times in college, and oscillo always helped me to get over it quickly, rarely even missing a class. This past winter, I woke up one morning with symptoms-- severe aches and chills, you know that lovely feeling-- and when paired with elderberry, this remedy helped me to recover within 24 hours.

Elderberry does a number on influenza. I've also heard that it is a good immune support when taken on a regular basis and can help with colds, but I have not had much luck with that-- just with flu. I know that it's much cheaper to make your own and I plan to try that when I empty my current bottle.

3)

Oregano oil. This is a very potent anti-fungal and anti-viral remedy. If you have ever had to deal with such awesome, super-attractive afflictions as ringworm or toenail fungus, you know that you want them gone quick. Dilute it with a carrier oil (I use almond or coconut): you can find safe dilution ratios here.

4)

Breathe EO Blend. This is from doTERRA and is somewhat pricey, but as you'll be diluting it, the bottle lasts longer than you may expect. For coughing and congestion, you can apply it to the bottoms of your feet, or you can diffuse it (which is safest for infants).

5)

Lympha Rub. This is a an essential oil remedy from Trilight Health. I've used it for achy-breaky flu symptoms and swollen glands. It works very well, and since it is premixed you don't need to dilute it yourself.

Have you ever heard this song? I'm not sure why we know it, but anyway, I include it here because we jokingly call our naturopath /chiropractor "the witch doctor." And because it's funny.)

Weekend linkage

1)

Funny things: "English professor suddenly realizes students will believe anything she says."

Actors hanging out with their body doubles.

"A manifesto against the tyranny of luxury kitchens."

These shirts are fantastic: 1, 2, 3.

2)

Do you know why I haven't been posting much lately?

Do ya do ya do ya?

3)

We have another jellybean on the way, that's why!

4)

Relatively speaking, I feel good, not as sick as I was with Ellie. The stomach flu last week was worse than any morning sickness I have experienced thus far. Mostly I'm tired . . . and I hate coffee.

This particular bean should arrive at the beginning of January. Jared and I are so delighted that God has added another child to our family. I have no idea what Ellie will do once she realizes that she's a big sister, but it should be entertaining.

5)

Lovely and true.

6)

"Why the College Board is Revising US History."

Weekend-adjacent linkage

1)

This week I worried a lot. Ellie met a stomach bug for the first time and couldn't keep anything down for over 24 hours. We eventually took her to urgent care to check on her hydration level, and were a few hours away from visiting the emergency room for an IV. Fortunately, she finally stopped throwing up and started to drink breastmilk and Pedialyte.

She is okay now. It was just scary for me: I don't worry when she coughs or sneezes or has a fever or a rash, but throwing up is another ball game. I don't know why. We got the stomach flu multiple times as kids, and it wasn't a bit deal (I mean, gross, but no cause for concern). It seems different when a pipsqueak like Ellie is vomiting up everything she puts in her mouth. She really is a pipsqueak, too. They weighed her at urgent care and she was barely 20 pounds!

By the way, any suggestions for a more "natural" version of Pedialyte? I am not thrilled about the multiple artificial ingredients.

2)

And then I got the stomach bug too. It was the worst.

3)

On to frivolity! Here are 24 hair hacks that I will actually use, from Elle.

And here are Russian illustrations of Lord of the Rings. They are thoroughly awesome. Make sure you look at all four posts!

4)

This is excellent, I thought: Who Has the Worst Kids?

When I was a new mum I absolutely loved being a mother and I was always so disheartened by the culture among mums of complaining about all the horrid things their kids did and joking about offering them up for sale . . .

It's a damaging lie to think that by disparaging my children I will make the other mother feel better about her kids, because the truth is I'm not only exposing my kids when they aren't at an age to defend themselves, I'm also giving the other mother permission to try and say something worse about her kids to make me feel better about mine. 

5)

"What Are We Teaching Our Daughters?" I so agree with this writer: advanced domestic skills are useful, delightful, well worth the time. But they are not the essence of femininity or even of homemaking.

Learning how to make croissants took half an hour with youtube; developing a worldview took years of reading, writing and discussions with Mum while she made meals and cleaned bathrooms . . .

Perhaps the greatest things a mother can teach her daughter are the greatness and beauty of Christ, self-denial, and the ability to learn through life. None of those are directly related to house work. But all of them make and shape the woman who scrubs her bathtub with thankfulness.

6)

"Why Society Needs to Trust Parents, Not Authorities."

7)

Excellent. Now you can hear the original D-Day broadcasts read by the likes of Patrick Stewart, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Toby Jones.