Faux Book Review

Each month, as part of my 101 in 1001 list, I make the effort to re-read a book I own that I have already read. I originally added this requirement because it was too easy for me to keep books "just in case" I needed to refer to them, or wanted to re-read them, and then never do so. This effort to be conscious of the books I already own has been helpful over the years (I originally did it for 12 months during my first 101 in 1001 list).

This month, I have been re-reading Hold On to Your Kids (Neufeld & Mate). It's oft-recommended, and I've enjoyed it each time I read it. It's a sign of a good book, I feel, when the reader can glean something new from the book each time it's read. Hold On to Your Kids passes that test, for me.

I should also add that while the authors state that homeschooling is not the answer for everyone, and have an attitude of "there's no help for sending your children to school for hours a day, you just have to do it in today's world," it's also a fantastic endorsement of some of the less tangible benefits of homeschooling. Read between the lines. :)

One chapter discusses how to avoid peer attachment, and two sections of that chapter particularly stood out to me upon re-reading.
• "Peers are not the answer to 'eccentricity.'"
• "Peers are no substitutes for siblings."

With regard to the first point, the authors discuss the obsessions in American society with "being 'normal' and fitting in," and how "individuality and eccentricity are out of favor." They go on to discuss the value of adult attachment for children to unfold into their own unique selves, and how peers are quick to discourage individuality. When Rachel on Glee is described as "looking like a homeschooler," I think homeschooling parents and their children should see an inherent compliment. Rachel's self-assured enough to dress as she pleases. The "strangeness" that is attributed to homeschoolers may in fact, according to Gabor and Mate, be an outgrowth of properly functioning adult attachments! That's something to celebrate.

The portion about peers being no substitute for siblings stood out for many reasons. I am an only child. The sibling-substitutes recommended by the authors are cousins; my only cousin is ten years old. On a personal level, I find it intriguing. I never felt the lack of siblings, per se, and I would say I was less peer-oriented than many of my cohort. I will also admit that I find it gratifying when my children "herd" together, lost in their sibling relationships. I didn't feel that sibling relationships presented the same issues as peer attachment, and it's encouraging to read the authors' explication of how sibling attachments are far more healthy and less likely to become primary attachments that supercede the parental/adult attachments.

This is one of those books that's helpful for me to re-read every two years or so. It's a helpful reminder of why we do what we do around these parts.

It's the End of the Year As We Know It

101 in 1001 list, one year in.

I started on January 1, 2009, and my ending date is September 28, 2011. I'm pretty pleased with my progress so far: I have twenty-six items completed and another thirteen in progress. There are a total of nineteen that have specified times and hence there's no way they could currently be complete. When I look at it that way, I've made great progress. :) For the percentage oriented amongst you, I'm 36.5% of the way through the total time, and have completed 25.7% of my goals. If you combine those completed and in progress, 38.6% of my goals are either none or being currently pursued.

Three of my goals are "on hold" for the time being - the ones about filters for the water here. Depending on where we land after moving, it may be more cost-efficient to get just one water filter for the entire house (I'm particularly looking at removing chlorine from the bathing water and fluoride from the drinking water) than individual filters for showers, tubs, and the kitchen sink.

I tried to make sure this time (I've done the 101 in 1001 list previously, from 2006 to NYE last year) to not put too many items that required a large expenditure of money. Still, I notice the section with the least completed requires spending money, as does another sparsely-populated section.

So what am I specifically looking at for 2010? Continuing on the goals that require an ongoing commitment. Finishing all the goals under "Reading" that can be completed before 2011. Completing all the goals listed under "Health," excepting maintain weight loss for one year. I'd also like to finish up "Personal." I did really well for the first half of 2009 with a monthly to-do list, but lost momentum around June or July. I'll probably start that up again.

101 in 1001 List

Considering there are around thirty of my items that cannot be completed yet, due to time specifications, I feel like I'm doing fairly well. My entire list can be found here.

In Progress: 2 previous, 13 total
002. Read the unread books that I own and have owned for more than one years' time, or get rid of them. 36/45 read or discarded
007. Re-read one book I already own each month for twenty-four months, not including the books to re-read that are mentioned by name elsewhere on this list. One book each month for January through June.
009. In 2009, for every book that enters the house (bought new or used), remove one book, through donation, giving away to a friend, or selling. I've purchased 27 books, and removed 43 books.
010. Watch the entire Angel series. Halfway through season one.
056. Lose weight to at least 165 pounds. Seven pounds lost so far.
076. Hold a big birthday party for Jacob in 2009 and 2011. Jacob had his fourth birthday party at American Adventures, 21 March 2009.
088. Knit a hat and one other item for Jacob. Finished a hat, 3 June 2009.
089. Knit two items for Brigid. Half done on a hat, 14 June 2009.
093. Keep a paper journal, writing in it at least once every week for six months. Began on 1/1/2009, and have written each week through 6/14/2009, with the weeks starting on Sunday.
094. Tag all LJ entries. 2002 & 2003 entries tagged.
099. Make a new website. Re-registered domain name.

Completed: 7 new, 9 total
001. Read a novel per week for twelve weeks. Completed 19 April 2009
012. Watch remainder of Buffy. Completed 24 February 2009
053. Journal 'coulda woulda shoulda' once a month for the first six months of 2009. Completed 1 June 2009
061. Continue taking iron supplements through six months postpartum (May 20, 2009). Completed 20 May 2009
066. Get a land line installed again. Completed 25 April 2009
067. Buy a new freezer. Completed 5 June 2009
071. Fix the kitchen sink faucet. Completed 10 April 2009

Failed: 1
051. Listen to PC session once a month throughout 2009 and 2010. I didn't listen in January, February, or March, at which point I declared that I had failed. Previously, I had considered that if I missed just one month, I could listen twice in the next month, because the point was to listen periodically, not necessarily by the calendar. In the end, it was a somewhat unrealistic goal and if I were rewriting the list now, I wouldn't include it because it's a little too much focus on something that might not even happen. How's that for cryptic? I don't feel horrible about it, though, which tells me it probably wasn't actually important enough to me to get on the list.