So now we need research to support what every parent who has raised children to adulthood on the planet knows…kids need a daily routine and an firmly established bedtime.

But now that “research” has established it to be “factual” it’s supported.

Read about it here.

Geesh.

Ask any grandparent. They are a fount of wisdom and have LIVED the research first hand.

This will make you smile today

Embedded video from CNN Video

KRASNOYARSK, Russia (CNN) — “It kept you alive,” a tearful Dwight Griffith told his adopted son as the two looked at an infant incubator during a tour of the Russian hospital where he was born.

More than a decade after L.S. Berzon City Clinical Hospital No. 20 cared for him, 16-year-old Alex Griffith wanted to show his gratitude.

“Russia is part of me and this hospital is part of me. They gave me life, so I [wanted] to give back to them, to give them a fun place to play,” said Alex, who lives in Forest Hill, Maryland.

As part of a Boy Scout project, Alex donated hundreds of hours and raised tens of thousands of dollars to build a new playground for the hospital.

Alex — originally named Sergey — was abandoned by his parents shortly after he was born at the hospital in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk. He weighed less than 2 pounds and doctors said he had a mild case of cerebral palsy.

His condition improved slightly over the next 11 months, when Dwight and Jenny Griffith adopted him.

“The first time we saw Alex, he had rickets and he was malnourished,” remembered Dwight Griffith. “At first Alex did not smile and hardly moved.”  Watch Alex visit the hospital for the first time in 15 years »

Alex grew healthier throughout his childhood and became active in the Boy Scouts. In 2007, he set out to build a new playground at Hospital 20 as his service project to become an Eagle Scout, the highest earned rank of the Boy Scouts of America.

But the teenager had his work cut out for him. In photos his parents took when they traveled to Russia to adopt him, Alex saw that the existing playground had a single rusty swing with a rotten wooden seat and a sandbox that he described as “a mud pit because of all the rain.”

“I was just like, ‘Wow, that’s a lot different,’ ” he said.

The project is a hit. Young patients and their families now have at their disposal swings, a rock wall, a climbing bridge and 5-foot tall zip slides. The playground is painted red, white and blue and the entrance has two totem poles: a bear for Russia and an eagle for America.  Watch children enjoy the state-of-the-art playground »

Alex and a small group of volunteers traveled to Hospital 20 in early August to set up the playground. A dedication ceremony was held there on August 12 — Alex’s birthday.

“It makes me feel awesome opening the playground on my 16th birthday,” he said. “It’s just made me really happy just being here.”

The people of Krasnoyarsk have embraced the teenager, especially the children.

“I like this playground, because when you slide on it all the sadness goes away,” said 11-year-old Sonja Sultanova. “I think that Alex is a noble person.”

Alex no longer shows signs of cerebral palsy, but he does have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, impulsivity and a frail frame. His parents believe some of his conditions relate to his time in the hospital, due to a small staff with a lack of resources to provide enough care for the babies.

Still, he and his parents are thankful he is doing as well as he is, having grown into a typical suburban teenager alongside his four adopted siblings. He enjoys riding his dirt bike and playing video games.

Alex anticipates finding out if he becomes an Eagle Scout within the next couple months, but he is already satisfied with the outcome.

“This project has been a lot of fun and other kids who have been adopted are contacting me asking for advice,” he said. “I am going to do whatever I can to help them.”

Article can be found here.

Looking for More Help!

This time for Sunday School!

This year’s lessons are going to center around “The Divine Liturgy Activity Book” published by OCEC. I plan on supplementing the lessons with enhanced crafts and simple instruction on the Trinity, God loves you and stuff like that.

I am looking for links that will provide photos and definitions of the priest’s vestments. I plan on making paper dolls so the kids can ‘vest’ the priest.

Links for making an iconostasis and a church would be helpful too.

Ideas on how to do this out of cardboard or Legos would be good.

Cost is an issue. Free is best.

Thanks!

Progress

As promised, here is a photo of the wrapping cloth that I am crosstitching for our parish.  I am not wholly satisfied with it, thus am seeking some opinions.

As you can see, it is set off to the left.  What I am thinking is to continue the design by few more pink flowers on the right, taking it closer to the right edge.

What do you all think:  leave as is?  add more pink flowers?

I am pleased with how nicely it has turned out and with the colors.  The pattern calls for 6 Iris but I did only 3 because I liked the idea of a ‘trinity’ of Iris, as well as I did not like that the remaining Irises would continue the design into the “C” shape the pattern calls for.

This design will be duplicated on the other end of the cloth but as a mirror pattern.  The “open” portions of the design will be facing one another, giving the impression of “embracing” the cross.

Thank you to my friend Suzanna who sent me this wonderful link about Fleur-de-lis which is what the French call an Iris.  I did not realize it was an emblem for Mary!  Read about it here!

Texting & Driving – a ‘no-no’

PSA Texting while Driving, U.K., August 2009, Peter Watkins-Hughes – Newport School of AMD, Wales

Be warned.  VERY graphic video.

Silver Wedding Anniversary

August 18, 1984

August 15, 2009:  Today we renewed our wedding vows.  The same ones we said 25 years ago.  It was a good day!

The Kids (L-R):  Mike (Bri’s boyfriend), Brianna, Ian, Briana (Ian’s girlfriend)

Final product

Here are the two pouches in their completed stage.  The material made all the difference to their construction.

Sewing Projects

As promised, here are photos of the sewing projects Father T requested.

This cloth will be used to cover the Chalice, Paten, Star and Knife on the Table of Oblation after Divine Liturgy, during the week.  It will keep them covered and clean.

These are two long bookmarks.  One will be used in the Gospel.  I’m not sure where the second one will be used.  Perhaps the service book.

This is a proto-type of a pouch that Father will use to carry the Holy Mysteries around his neck when he takes Communion to the sick.  This is repurposed material that does not feel sturdy enough under my fingers.  So I will use the new altar cloth material that is left over to make two of these.  I will show this one to Father to make sure it is the right width for the sick call kit.

Relaxing

What is it about being at K’s house?  On the drive up Thursday evening, I began to relax. 

We arrived late, so said our hellos and dove into bed.

The next day, while K was at work, the hubster and I took a trip into the ‘big city’ to shop at the ‘big name’ men’s store factory outlet.  We hit is big! 

• 1 sport coat
• 1 suit
• 5 pair of three-season slacks
• 6 100% cotton dress shirts
• 7 silk ties

All for one third the full retain price.  And the better part is, they will last him for several years.  I was very happy.  We went to lunch then headed back to K’s house to relax and nap the afternoon away.

Today, after sleeping in and having a leisurely breakfast of freshly laid eggs (three of which I got to bring in from the chicken coop – 1 was still warm!), and freshly made bread, we watched K and two of her friend have horseback riding lessons.  Yup, you guessed it, K and her friends own a horse farm.  They have a big barn with stables enough to house 7 or 8 horses, an indoor riding area, 5 pastures, an old house built in 1857, an a lovely in-ground swimming pool.

The two friends ride Nokotas, a type of horse found in North Dakota.  Hawk is tempermental and a willful youngun, at the whopping age of 5 years old.  He is a lovely greyish black color.  Kit, though younger and Hawk by a year, is calmer and less tempermental.  He listened to his rider without much fuss.  But he is also more used to being ridden and has been in competitions, so he knows what is expected of him.  Hawk was just broken last summer.

Shiloh, a big Clydesdale, is K’s ride.  He is a big, lumbering and loving horse.  It is awesome to watch K ride him so smoothly and watch as he responds to her gentle tug or press of knee.  I am very proud of K’s accomplishments.

Will post pictures eventually, once we get them off the camera.

Tonight we are going to a triple-A basebal game and tomorrow will be another leisurely start, with departure to home late morning or early afternoon.

Uneventful Weekend

Saturday was spent working on transcribing tapes till 4:00 p.m. while two loads of laundry got taken care of.  Then I took time to sweep the kitchen floor, run the vacuum and straighten up the house.  Off to Vespers at 5:00 p.m. then home again, home again jiggity jig.  A quick dinner out and then to the Select Comfort store to purchase a new bed, which will last 20 years.  The current one is on year number 12 or 14.  The quality of the product has improved significantly since we purchased ours.  I continue to be astonished at how expensive a mattress and foundation; whether traditional or not.

I also took a quick run through Barnes & Noble to use a couple gift cards that had remaining $$ on them.  I purchased two crosstitch magazines with adorable patterns.  My goodness, the quality of pattern designs  has surely improved since the last time I purchased one!  I crosstitch bug is biting me big time!!  Tra-la!

Today was spent at church.  Always a nice oxygen tank refill.  Then home where I had a quick bite of lunch then started working on some sewing for the church.

A very generous donor paid for new gold cloths for the church; 12 items total I think.  The leftover material was passed in my direction with a request for:

• two bookmarks (one for the Gospel, one for the Service book)
• two small ‘pouches’ for the sick call kit to fit in for when Father makes hospital calls and brings the Holy Mysteries (the current one he used was too small)
• one cover for the chalice, paten, star and knives which reside on the Table of Oblation during the week.

I also received a couple of the old cloths which Father asked me to use to fashion a cover for the stand on which the visitor book sits in the Narthex.  So I spent the evening ripping them apart so they can be laundered and sewn together for the cover.  I also salvaged the ribbon and tassels for reuse.

Father and I like the idea of being ‘green’ by reusing the fabric which not only keeps the ‘history’ of the cloths but also allows them to continued to be put to good use.  We debated cleaning them and offering them to a mission parish but they were in such poor condition, I would be embarassed to pass them on.  The badly stained parts will be cut out and given to Father to burn.

In all, a very productive weekend.