New Blog

Check out Micah's new blog.

You should also check out his Anima Christi series over at The Ranter's blog.  His elucidation of this beautiful prayer is much more in-depth than mine, 'cause he's super cool.

More Than Food

So often discussions regarding breastfeeding seem to omit the fact that breastfeeding is much more than food.  I see this fact being omitted when people talk about scheduling feeds, feeding in public, nightweaning, etc.

When people talk of scheduling feeds, the underlying assumption is that breastfeeding is purely for food.  I say that's the assumption because you cannot schedule when your child will need to be comforted.  I'm not entirely convinced you can completely schedule when they'll eat, either; I have a general idea of when my children will eat, but nothing is set in stone.  Kieran usually wants to eat after he wakes from a nap and has had his "wake-up milk", but sometimes he doesn't.  Of course, I can't even tell you with absolute certainty when I'll eat.  I laugh that I'm a hobbit, as I'm fairly certain I could easily follow a hobbit's eating schedule.

One rejoinder often heard in conversations about scheduling feeds or nightweaning is that the mother shouldn't let the child use her as a dummy.  Let's think about that one.  A dummy is something that is supposed to replace the breast and allow the child to fulfil his need for suckling away from the mother.  It's a substitute.  Why use a substitute if the mother is available?  Babies need to suck, and biologically this is fulfilled by breastfeeding, for food or comfort.

Perhaps part of this is that many do not recognise comfort-sucking as an actual need for the child.  Comfort is more than just a want for a child, but is a real need.  He needs to know his mother is there.  I participated in a conversation where a parent was asking if his child should nightwean, and another person asked if the child needed to breastfeed or if it was just for comfort.  See the assumption there?  The assumption that breastfeeding for comfort isn't a need?  While our culture may teach this, it just isn't the case.

It's also not true that a child who is comforted in that way will never learn to self-soothe or go to sleep on his own.  I've certainly not found this to be true.  As I've mentioned before, Kieran has always been a comfort-nurser and would still gladly nurse his cares away at times (he doesn't ask for it every time he falls, though).  Even with wanting that physical comforting from me, he's an independent boy who can calm himself down and can fall asleep without nursing to sleep.  He still gets milk before naps & bed, but doesn't fall asleep like that any more.  I say that Charlotte doesn't comfort feed, but that isn't entirely true, as she does breastfeed to sleep (for naps and bed).  She simply doesn't want to breastfeed if she hurts herself or otherwise needs comforting during the day.  I have no fear of her never learning to sleep without breastfeeding, for I know she'll stop that when she's ready.  There are many nights when she'll breastfeed some and then flop down so she's not touching me and fall asleep, and she's tried to put herself down for a nap.  She's making steps towards that, but I'm in no rush.

The conversation about breastfeeding in public also seems to assume that comfort-feeding is irrelevant (since it cannot be predicted), as well as assuming that you can/should schedule your child's feeds.  When Kieran was little, I'd always try to feed him before going to class (yes, he went to my university lectures with me) or Mass or whatnot, but he'd almost always want to eat again at that time.  Perhaps he needed to be comforted when in a larger group of people, most of whom he didn't know.  My choices then were to feed him, leave, or let him scream.  Some children can be held off, but not all.  Since all children are individuals, an arbitrary rule shouldn't be applied.

Ultimately, I think a lot of the debate on this comes from the fact that breastfeeding, sadly, isn't the majority practise here.  The majority bottle-feed, which as a different set of guidelines.  Dummies should be used with bottle-fed babes, since the need to comfort-suck isn't met with the bottle, which is reserved for food.  Because this is what is so often seen, I think a lot of members of society have forgotten what the biological norm dictates: that babies feed often, for short periods of time, for comfort as well as food, and that they breastfeed for over two years, on average.  Hopefully the tide is turning, as more information and support are available for mothers, though unfortunately some still aren't receiving the support and help needed and some healthcare providers continue to disseminate myths.

Book Nook

Who doesn't love the old school Sesame Street?  Grover was always one of my favourites to watch and to read about in The Monster at the End of this Book, by Jon Stone.  Since Bart and I both grew up loving this book, we wanted to share it with our children.  My father has gotten some old school Sesame Street DVDs for the kids, so they're well acquainted with Grover.  Once I moved the bookcase downstairs, the kids rediscovered this book and have been asking for me to read it quite a bit.  Of course, you have to read this book with quite a bit of feeling, just as Grover would.  I admit I can't do his voice, but the kids don't seem to mind, since they keep asking me to read it.

Body of Christ

I'm trying to stay off-line as much as possible on Sundays, so I thought over the next few Sundays I'd just post my thoughts, such as they may be, on the Anima Christi prayer.  It's one of my favourite prayers, and one I say daily. Here's the full text:

Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from the side of Christ, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee
From the malicious enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee
That with thy Saints I may praise Thee
For all eternity
Amen

Body of Christ, save me.

This line is one of my favourites.  When I was researching Catholicism, it was when I realised the truth of the Eucharist that I knew I had to convert.  I cannot explain or describe the pure love and joy even in kneeling before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament at Adoration, or exclaiming with the Apostle Thomas "My Lord and my God!" at the Elevation of the Host.  Jesus gives us His Body in the humble form of the Eucharist, telling us we must partake of His Flesh and Blood to have life within us (see John 6).  When we unite ourselves with Jesus in this way, we are slowly transformed by His grace so He may save us.  It is amazing how He humbles Himself in order to be so completely united with us.

Willpower

I have a fair amount of willpower.  I don't give in to my every whim or craving and am pretty good at delayed gratification.  Unless, of course, we're talking about the computer.  For quite some time I've told myself that I needed to cut down on my computer time, and in fact I did so during Lent.  Not only do I waste time on the computer, only to then wonder why the housework hasn't been done and why I've not exercised, but I'm not all that nice/patient with the kids.  Kieran also demands to see videos or play games, and while we can have fun doing that, I still wind up being rather impatient.  I'd really like to nip this in the bud sooner rather than later, especially since we hope to have more children, God willing, and I wish to home educate.  Yes, there's a good reason that sloth is one of the seven deadly sins.  *sigh*

As I mentioned, I did cut down during Lent, and I always try to limit my computer time on Sundays.  It isn't a problem if the computer is off completely: the problem is when I turn it on and say I'll be on for just a little while, only to then keep coming back to check things.  I'll tell myself that I'll only get on during naps, or when I'm feeding Charlotte, but it doesn't seem to work for me.  Therefore, I'm just going to have to be stricter with myself.  I'm still going to try to keep the computer off on Sundays (with the exception being if we're getting on Skype to talk to family), and for the other days I'll set certain hours when I can get online.  I'd actually told myself that I needed to set actual hours before, but then I'd say "Oh, I'll write that down later", and it would never happen.  This time, I made myself set the hours when the thought popped into my head.  Maybe now I'll actually stick to my schedule for housework and get back into exercising daily, as well as spending time playing with the kids and reading (both to them and just reading for my own enjoyment).

We Are the Borg. You Will Be Assimilated.

When I think of the debates in the parenting world regarding schedules and parenting styles and such, I find myself thinking about whether we're treating the child as the individual he is if we're imposing those schedules or styles on them from the start.

The extreme end of this would be the Babywise-type regimen that recommends imposing a fairly strict schedule for the child's feeding, napping, and playing times.  The question is, is the imposition of such a schedule and style done for the child's benefit or the parents'?  After all, it would seem that deciding on a schedule/style beforehand would not be taking into account the child's unique personality, which is present at birth (at least to some extent).

It just seems to me that scheduling things is more about me than my child, since my children can't tell time.  They know what they need when they need it, and we settle into a groove soon enough when I'm attuned to that.   Anyone who knows me knows that I'm very much an attachment parent, but I didn't read up on Attachment Parenting and choose to do it - I followed my instincts and the cues of my children.   This has taken different forms with Kieran and Charlotte, even from birth.  This really threw me off when Charlotte was born, as I'd anticipated doing things the same way with her, but she's a different person and therefore I had to change the way I did things.  For example, when Kieran was a newborn he'd sleep anytime anywhere provided he was touching me; Charlotte, however, demanded to be in bed nursing around 20.00 every night.  I couldn't nurse her while standing or sitting, but had to be in bed.  So I adapted, as that's what my instincts told me and that's what she needed.  Similarly, Kieran would accept milk any time he got hurt or was upset, while Charlotte won't comfort nurse and so I have to find other ways of comforting her, such as singing.

Speaking of instincts, it also seems to me that imposing a schedule tells mothers to ignore their instincts.  I know that any time I try to impose a schedule on Kieran's nursing, even now, it just feels wrong and we both get upset.  He still needs that comfort and nutrition, and while I'd honestly like for him to cut down on his feeds, I'm not sure he's ready.  That's not to say I don't set some limits, because I do, but I don't think he's quite ready for me to say that he gets it only at certain times of the day.  He's never been one to adhere to a strict schedule (at least  not when it comes to nursing) and I don't think he's going to start now.  While maybe it would be more convenient for me if he did, I don't choose my parenting style or schedule due to convenience for me, but by what's best for my children (to the best of my ability).

So I'll do my best to remember that my children are individuals and that their individuality should remain intact instead of being assimilated into the collective. ;-)

Knitting Thursday

I know I've not posted one of these in a few weeks.  I've been lazy, and also busy with other things.  I've gotten below the armholes on my sweater, so I've run waste yarn through the sleeve stitches and joined the underarm.  Now just a few more inches to go before starting the skirt part, which means I need to figure out what I'm doing with that.  i was thinking zigzags, but we'll see.  I'm sure I'll put in a lifeline at the bottom of the ribbing so I can easily rip out to there if I don't like the design I choose for the skirt part.  I'm also open to suggestions on designs.  I don't want anything too lacy because I don't want my belly to freeze, nor do I want to get fabric to line it.

Breastfeeding in Georgia

I'm sure most people have heard of the inane public indecency ordinance in one Georgia town making it illegal to breastfeed a child over the age of 2 in public.  As you can guess, I'm firmly opposed to such a law, on numerous grounds.  For starters, it's appalling to include breastfeeding in a public indecency ordinance.  I realise they're exempting breastfeeding women from public indecency, provided the child is under the age of 2.  The implication of this, though, is that breastfeeding a child who is even one day over the age of 2 is indecent.  Breastfeeding a child is not indecent, whatever the age of the child!  The World Health Organization recommend breastfeeding for 2 years or beyond.  Breastfeeding past infancy still has great benefits for the child and the mother.

I do know that it's uncommon to see children past the age of 1 breastfeed in public in some parts of the US.  However, this does not mean that children over the age of 1 or 2 shouldn't breastfeed in public, nor does it make it indecent.  As I noted in a previous post, if we want more women to see breastfeeding past infancy as an option, then we need for it to be seen.  I am not saying that in an exhibitionist way, but in the sense that the things we see in our everyday lives shape our perceptions of what is accepted or not.  I don't know breastfeeding mothers who want to be exhibited in that way (on a side note, this is actually why I'm not entirely sure about nurse-ins, because, while I understand the reasoning and sympathise with it, it could make it look like we are exhibitionists, which could harm our cause).

I also wonder if this ordinance could serve to discourage women from breastfeeding in public at all, which could then lead to weaning earlier than they would like.  Would a mother need to carry proof of her child's age?  Or would she be more likely to avoid breastfeeding in public to avoid any potential hassle?  How would someone even know the child's age?  I have a friend whose children are petite; her 2-year-old is roughly the same size as Charlotte is at 14-months.  I'm also sure that there are children larger than Charlotte, since she isn't at the top of the growth charts.

Some Georgia mothers did stage a nurse-in in protest of this ordinance.  I found the city officials' reaction disheartening.  From Fox News:

City officials brushed off the protest, citing other cities with similar rules. 

"You need to check ordinances in other jurisdictions," John Parker, the city manager said. “You’ll find the same verbiage exists in those, too.”

The fact that other cities have similar ordinances does not make it right.  I'm reminded of a quote from Archbishop Fulton Sheen:

"Right is right, even if no one is right. Wrong is wrong, even if everyone is wrong."

Book Nook

Time for another classic today.  While we've had this book for ages, I hadn't read Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak to Charlotte until last week.  She quite enjoyed it.  In fact, when I got to the part about the wild rumpus, she started dancing on the book and roared.  Maybe she's the queen of the Wild Things.

Soul of Christ

I'm trying to stay off-line as much as possible on Sundays, so I thought over the next few Sundays I'd just post my thoughts, such as they may be, on the Anima Christi prayer.  It's one of my favourite prayers, and one I say daily. Here's the full text:

Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from the side of Christ, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee
From the malicious enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee
That with thy Saints I may praise Thee
For all eternity
Amen


Soul of Christ, sanctify me 

I'll admit that this line isn't one to which I instantly gravitate when I'm meditating on this prayer.  My first thought with this is that Christ having a soul really brings His humanity to the fore.  What is a soul, anyway?  The Latin text is "Anima Christi", as the soul is what animates us.  Here are some relevant quotes from the Catechism:

363 In Sacred Scripture the term "soul" often refers to human life or the entire human person.230 But "soul" also refers to the innermost aspect of man, that which is of greatest value in him,231 that by which he is most especially in God's image: "soul" signifies the spiritual principle in man.

364 The human body shares in the dignity of "the image of God": it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit:232

Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity. Through his very bodily condition he sums up in himself the elements of the material world. Through him they are thus brought to their highest perfection and can raise their voice in praise freely given to the Creator. For this reason man may not despise his bodily life. Rather he is obliged to regard his body as good and to hold it in honor since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day. 233

365 The unity of soul and body is so profound that one has to consider the soul to be the "form" of the body:234 i.e., it is because of its spiritual soul that the body made of matter becomes a living, human body; spirit and matter, in man, are not two natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature.

 So I guess what we're saying is "Jesus, your very being, your innermost self, in whose image I'm made, make me holy, as You are holy".  Or at least that's my take on it at the moment. Amazing!

Great Motherhood Quote

I saw this quote from Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty on a friend's blog:

"The most important person on earth is a mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral--a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby's body. The angels have not been blessed with such a grace. They cannot share in God's creative miracle to bring new saints to Heaven. Only a human mother can. Mothers are closer to God the Creator than any other creature; God joins forces with mothers in performing this act of creation…What on God's good earth is more glorious than this: to be a mother?"

Beautiful

Kids in the Kitchen

I'm learning more and more how to include my kids when I'm working in the kitchen.  Kieran loves to help (provided I'm not using the electric mixer or blender, in which case he runs away) and is always asking to bring a chair in so he can help.  This is forcing me to give up some control and to allow for more messes.  I do enjoy working with him, though.  Right now Charlotte is content to be given a bowl and a spoon and play on the floor.

I've also found that this is providing him with valuable skills and information.  He's learnt how to stir mixes, and he's in charge of the spices sometimes (he's especially fond of rosemary and garlic).  He insists on helping to roll out pizza dough and grind up pepper or crush garlic with the mortar and pestle.   He loves to stir sauces and put noodles in the pot and help me with the pasta maker.  I'm having to learn to be more patient and allow more time for cooking, though I really do love watching him in the kitchen with me.

Of course, his favourite part of helping is when he gets to eat the food being prepared.

Lazy

I'm lazy.  Sure, I have my bursts of frenzied activity, but then I also struggle daily with laziness.  I often joke that my parenting choices (breastfeeding, babywearing, co-sleeping, baby-led weaning) are because of my laziness, though of course that isn't the case.  The fact that those things are less work for me is just an added bonus.  ;-)

Today, though, I found myself wondering how I would've handled something differently had I taken the time to actually deal with it instead of taking the easy, lazy way out.  I'd gotten an early birthday present in the post (thanks, Mom & Daddy!), and the kids were happily playing with the box.  Charlotte was sitting on top of the box and Kieran wanted to use the box as a road for his toy cars.  He therefore pushed her off.  Unfortunately I had a knee-jerk reaction where I raised my voice and sent Kieran to the corner while I scooped up the crying Charlotte.  Kieran had started to give Charlotte a kiss by way of an apology, but I sent him anyway.

Did that solve the problem?  No.  True, it got him out of the way, but that wasn't necessary.  He wasn't going to push her again or hurt her in any way.  He wouldn't have been in the way while I comforted Charlotte.  He didn't intend to hurt her in the first place.

So if it didn't solve anything, why did I do it?  Because it was easy.  And I knew that as I was doing it.  I knew as I was sending him over there that he needed to be next to me as well so we could talk about it.  He's a very sensitive kid and talking to him can really help him to understand why he shouldn't push and how he should've handled it differently.  I know that about him, and yet I didn't do it.  I'm lazy.

Instead of addressing the root of the problem, I reacted badly to the end result.  Ideally I'd have addressed the issue before Kieran resorted to pushing, since they weren't out of sight (I was cleaning in the kitchen and they were playing in the living room, but the door was open and I could see them in my peripheral vision).  Failing that, I wish I'd have reacted in a calmer fashion and had Kieran sit down with me to help comfort Charlotte.  He could then see the consequences up close and we could talk about it.  Hopefully next time I won't take the easy way out and will take the opportunity to teach.

On Friendship

Father Cappie over on Phatmass posted this the other day, and I thought it was beautiful.  I therefore requested to share it.  He didn't write it, and can't remember the author as he's had it for quite some time.  Anyway, here it is:

Once upon a time, there was friendship. Once upon a time, society accepted that the love of friends could be the single most important thing in a person’s life, and they did more than just accept, they celebrated the fact. Throughout history, discourses and sermons have been written in praise of friendship. When Alfred Tennyson’s friend Arthur Hugh Hallam died tragically young in 1833, he spent the next seventeen years writing the great poem “In Memoriam” as a memorial to his friend; and Hallam is a first name used among the Tennyson family to this day.

Perhaps the change was the fault of Freud and Oscar Wilde; and then again, perhaps not. But today no love is accepted as valid that is not in some way sexual, and even if we set out to reject the sex-obsessed outlook of today’s society, we think in those terms despite ourselves. When St Aelred writes of “this most loving youth”, we all say to ourselves “oh yes” in a knowing way, sure that we have guessed the smutty truth.

What a waste! What a wicked denial and perversion of love! God has made friendship – did not Christ have his own beloved disciple? – and how dare we corrupt it and deny it! Of course, we must not despise sex: sex is holy, divinely ordained as a way of love and procreation – but it is not the only love. Friendship is not “mere” friendship, not a second-best; still less is it a repressed substitute for erotic love. It is a love in its own right, powerful, holy, overwhelming. A world with Eros but without friendship is a world full of isolated, self-obsessed couples, of love unshared – a sad thing indeed. And we are heading that way.

The denial of friendship is an evil thing and evil in its effects. When my pulse beats faster at the sight of my friend, when his presence feels like a bolt of electricity – is this really sex in disguise? Am I to run away – which would be a tragedy – in order to preserve my chastity, or am I to try to overcome my revulsion and make a pass – which would be worse? Modern society seems to give us nothing but this harsh choice between a cold heart and a hot body. Who knows how many of the impressionable young are led into ultimately unendurable vices precisely because they cannot face what seems the only available alternative? And when, as is inevitable, they have destroyed friendship by turning it into something it is not, what choice do we give them but to repeat the error, each time more desperately? As if one could see the stars by diving ever deeper into the mud!

Let us accept friendship. Let us accept it as a true and passionate gift of God. Let us accept it in others without reading anything else into it – “repressed” or not. Let us rejoice if it is given to us, be glad if it is given to others. Jonathan loved David not because of what he could get out of him, but because he was David: let us celebrate this motiveless love of the Other, an echo of the pure love of Heaven. We ought to love everyone like that: but one should at least start somewhere.

Book Nook

We're obviously Julia Donaldson fans here, because we have another one of her books showcased today.  This time it's Charlie Cook's Favourite Book.  Kieran has loved this book, and we recently pulled it back out for Charlotte, who also enjoys it.  As with all her books, her rhymes are catchy and fun, while Axel Scheffler's illustrations are great.  I think he must have some special love for squirrels, though, since I think I've seen one in each book he's illustrated.  I'll have to check now to see if there's one in The Tickle Book, which is written by Ian Whybrow.  I've talked about that one before.  In this book, though, each person is reading a book that somehow features another book, so the next part will tell you about that book, and so on and so forth until it comes full circle.  It's very fun, and I highly recommend it.

As an added bonus this week, you get to see our "book nook".  Until recently, I had the bookcase upstairs in Kieran's room, but the books invariably ended up in the living room.  This weekend I was about to take a big pile of books back upstairs to put them on the shelf when I noticed that both kids were sitting by their doomoo seats thumbing through books.  At that point I decided to bring the bookcase downstairs and put their doomoo seats by it to create their own little book nook.  So far it's a hit.

Charlotte to English dictionary

Now that Charlotte's talking a lot, I end up translating a lot.  So here's the dictionary thus far:

buff = moose
'bert = Firebert, or any cat by extension
cow = car
boo = moo or boo, depending on context
mouf = mouth
off = off or on
kass/gass = kiss
buk = milk or book, depending on context
bye = bye or bite, depending on context
Kahn/Keen = Kieran
bam = lamb
bee(d) = read
bass = Mass
gass = glasses
pay = play

baf = bath

bice = rice

bohne = button

gee = piggy

dow = dinosaur or diaper, depending on context

dah-ing = dancing

cak = snack

cow = car

'pise = Enterprise (as in the Starship Enterprise)

Pa = Papa

mow = meow

cup = cup

whee = anything with wheels or that slides or said when swinging

I want = I want

bu-ee = Mummy
huff/buff = horse
bow = ball
kass = kiss
bu-key = monkey
bom = phone
Pow/PowPow = PowPow (what the kids call my dad) 

St Peregrine Novena Day 9

Suzanna Allen, Johnny's little friend, has Wilm's Tumor, a childhood cancer of the kidneys. They found it on Tuesday, May 3rd and discovered on May 4th that it had already spread to her lungs.

Normally, this is a very treatable cancer with good response to chemo and super low incidences of recurrence. However, since it has metastasized, the cancer is much more serious.

><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+

Please join us in a novena to St. Peregrine, the patron saint of cancer patients. He himself was cured of cancer in the 1300s after receiving a vision of Jesus. Invite any and everyone you know to help us present prayers before the Father that He might heal this beautiful little girl.

A novena means we will pray this prayer every day for nine days.
For Those who are unfamiliar, this is tradition of prayer that dates back to the Apostles, gathered in the upper room following the Ascension of Jesus. As they waited for the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they prayed together.

For the next nine days, we will do the same for Suzanna.

><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+


Glorious wonder-worker, St. Peregrine, you answered the divine call with a ready spirit, and forsook all the comforts of a life of ease and all the empty honors of the world to dedicate yourself to God in the Order of His holy Mother.

You labored manfully for the salvation of souls. In union with Jesus crucified, you endured painful sufferings with such patience as to deserve to be healed miraculously of an incurable cancer in your leg by a touch of His divine hand.

Obtain for me the grace to answer every call of God and to fulfill His will in all the events of life. Enkindle in my heart a consuming zeal for the salvation of all men.

Deliver Susanna from the infirmities that afflict her body, especially the cancer that has been found.

Obtain for her, and her family, also a perfect resignation to the sufferings it may please God to send her and them, so that, imitating our crucified Savior and His sorrowful Mother, they may merit eternal glory in heaven.

St. Peregrine, pray for us and for all who invoke your aid.

Be My Echo

If you want to know what things I say a lot, just listen to Kieran.  I actually didn't realise how often I said these things until he started repeating them.  So here's the list:

- Hey, Bart (said to my husband)
- or something (said at the end of a sentence)
- How was your day, love? (said to my husband when he gets home)
- Piggy, it's time for bed, sweetheart (I often say "sweetheart" instead of a name)
- Charlotte, don't climb around at Mass (I say this to Kieran when we're getting ready for Mass)
- I won't have any 'scants (ie: accidents; obviously this is a result of potty training)
- Piggy wake up nice and dry (again, potty training)

It's a good thing I almost never swear, since he's my echo all the time.

St Peregrine Novena Day 8

Suzanna Allen, Johnny's little friend, has Wilm's Tumor, a childhood cancer of the kidneys. They found it on Tuesday, May 3rd and discovered on May 4th that it had already spread to her lungs.

Normally, this is a very treatable cancer with good response to chemo and super low incidences of recurrence. However, since it has metastasized, the cancer is much more serious.

><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+

Please join us in a novena to St. Peregrine, the patron saint of cancer patients. He himself was cured of cancer in the 1300s after receiving a vision of Jesus. Invite any and everyone you know to help us present prayers before the Father that He might heal this beautiful little girl.

A novena means we will pray this prayer every day for nine days.
For Those who are unfamiliar, this is tradition of prayer that dates back to the Apostles, gathered in the upper room following the Ascension of Jesus. As they waited for the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they prayed together.

For the next nine days, we will do the same for Suzanna.

><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+


Glorious wonder-worker, St. Peregrine, you answered the divine call with a ready spirit, and forsook all the comforts of a life of ease and all the empty honors of the world to dedicate yourself to God in the Order of His holy Mother.

You labored manfully for the salvation of souls. In union with Jesus crucified, you endured painful sufferings with such patience as to deserve to be healed miraculously of an incurable cancer in your leg by a touch of His divine hand.

Obtain for me the grace to answer every call of God and to fulfill His will in all the events of life. Enkindle in my heart a consuming zeal for the salvation of all men.

Deliver Susanna from the infirmities that afflict her body, especially the cancer that has been found.

Obtain for her, and her family, also a perfect resignation to the sufferings it may please God to send her and them, so that, imitating our crucified Savior and His sorrowful Mother, they may merit eternal glory in heaven.

St. Peregrine, pray for us and for all who invoke your aid.

St Peregrine Novena Day 7

Suzanna Allen, Johnny's little friend, has Wilm's Tumor, a childhood cancer of the kidneys. They found it on Tuesday, May 3rd and discovered on May 4th that it had already spread to her lungs.

Normally, this is a very treatable cancer with good response to chemo and super low incidences of recurrence. However, since it has metastasized, the cancer is much more serious.

><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+

Please join us in a novena to St. Peregrine, the patron saint of cancer patients. He himself was cured of cancer in the 1300s after receiving a vision of Jesus. Invite any and everyone you know to help us present prayers before the Father that He might heal this beautiful little girl.

A novena means we will pray this prayer every day for nine days.
For Those who are unfamiliar, this is tradition of prayer that dates back to the Apostles, gathered in the upper room following the Ascension of Jesus. As they waited for the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they prayed together.

For the next nine days, we will do the same for Suzanna.

><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+


Glorious wonder-worker, St. Peregrine, you answered the divine call with a ready spirit, and forsook all the comforts of a life of ease and all the empty honors of the world to dedicate yourself to God in the Order of His holy Mother.

You labored manfully for the salvation of souls. In union with Jesus crucified, you endured painful sufferings with such patience as to deserve to be healed miraculously of an incurable cancer in your leg by a touch of His divine hand.

Obtain for me the grace to answer every call of God and to fulfill His will in all the events of life. Enkindle in my heart a consuming zeal for the salvation of all men.

Deliver Susanna from the infirmities that afflict her body, especially the cancer that has been found.

Obtain for her, and her family, also a perfect resignation to the sufferings it may please God to send her and them, so that, imitating our crucified Savior and His sorrowful Mother, they may merit eternal glory in heaven.

St. Peregrine, pray for us and for all who invoke your aid.

Hormones

Edited

I frequently read the posts on the Dispelling Breastfeeding Myths blog, so of course I checked out her latest post entitled "On Being a Hormonal Woman".  As I was reading, one quote in particular stood out to me: "Even more significiantly (for me) we fail to recognise the beauty of hormones. How they empower and enable us all to feel more deeply, to empathise, to become energised, to care."

In fact, I found myself nodding at various bits throughout the post, but that one really got to me, because I know that I am often that person who fails to recognise the beauty of my hormones with all their ups and downs.  As a teen, I absolutely hated using hormones as an excuse for my moods.  I was adamant that I would control my moods, and not be controlled by my hormones.  Now, I'm not saying I should be controlled by my hormones now, but also that I shouldn't fight against them, for this is how God has designed women.  What I used to see as only a weakness, I am now seeing as a potential strength, even if the ups and downs (or, in my case, the nausea that comes with higher oestrogen levels) can be annoying at times.  I think part of my thinking in the past came from the fact that we don't acknowledge and value the cyclic nature of our hormones. Many women suppress them through the pill, or try to ignore them or deny their influence upon us. At least I've fallen into both of those categories at different times.  The question is whether we're truly valuing who we are as women, who by nature have cyclic hormonal patterns throughout our lives, if we fail to acknowledge and accept this.

Nor should our reactions or arguments or feelings be dismissed as simply being the result of hormones.  Believe me, few things make me angrier than being told my argument isn't valid because I'm hormonal, or having someone ask me if I'm hormonal because I'm getting upset about something.  I may be hormonal at that time, but then again, I may not, and either way my argument or feelings should not be declared invalid.

I'm glad for this post at DBM so that I've had the opportunity to rethink my perceptions about my hormones.  Perhaps in the future I won't see them as the enemy to be fought against, but as a strength which can work with me.

Book Nook

Another favourite book around here is Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel.  It's one my husband and I remember from our childhoods, and my father got it for Kieran.  The only difficulty we've had is in convincing Kieran to let us stop after one or two chapters instead of reading the entire book in one sitting.  The chapters are fairly short, though, and the stories are well-written.  It's a book that we enjoy reading to the kids, with some puns that seem geared more towards the adults, too.  I can get annoyed with some children's books if they seem to dumb things down too much, but this book isn't guilty of that.  Reading should be an activity that is fun for the whole family, and with this book, it is.

St Peregrine Novena Day 6

Suzanna Allen has Wilm's Tumor, a childhood cancer of the kidneys. They found it on Tuesday, May 3rd and discovered on May 4th that it had already spread to her lungs.

Normally, this is a very treatable cancer with good response to chemo and super low incidences of recurrence. However, since it has metastasized, the cancer is much more serious.

><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+

Please join us in a novena to St. Peregrine, the patron saint of cancer patients. He himself was cured of cancer in the 1300s after receiving a vision of Jesus. Invite any and everyone you know to help us present prayers before the Father that He might heal this beautiful little girl.

A novena means we will pray this prayer every day for nine days.
For Those who are unfamiliar, this is tradition of prayer that dates back to the Apostles, gathered in the upper room following the Ascension of Jesus. As they waited for the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they prayed together.

For the next nine days, we will do the same for Suzanna.

><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+


Glorious wonder-worker, St. Peregrine, you answered the divine call with a ready spirit, and forsook all the comforts of a life of ease and all the empty honors of the world to dedicate yourself to God in the Order of His holy Mother.

You labored manfully for the salvation of souls. In union with Jesus crucified, you endured painful sufferings with such patience as to deserve to be healed miraculously of an incurable cancer in your leg by a touch of His divine hand.

Obtain for me the grace to answer every call of God and to fulfill His will in all the events of life. Enkindle in my heart a consuming zeal for the salvation of all men.

Deliver Susanna from the infirmities that afflict her body, especially the cancer that has been found.

Obtain for her, and her family, also a perfect resignation to the sufferings it may please God to send her and them, so that, imitating our crucified Savior and His sorrowful Mother, they may merit eternal glory in heaven.

St. Peregrine, pray for us and for all who invoke your aid.

St Peregrine Novena Day 5

Suzanna Allen, Johnny's little friend, has Wilm's Tumor, a childhood cancer of the kidneys. They found it on Tuesday, May 3rd and discovered on May 4th that it had already spread to her lungs.

Normally, this is a very treatable cancer with good response to chemo and super low incidences of recurrence. However, since it has metastasized, the cancer is much more serious.

><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+

Please join us in a novena to St. Peregrine, the patron saint of cancer patients. He himself was cured of cancer in the 1300s after receiving a vision of Jesus. Invite any and everyone you know to help us present prayers before the Father that He might heal this beautiful little girl.

A novena means we will pray this prayer every day for nine days.
For Those who are unfamiliar, this is tradition of prayer that dates back to the Apostles, gathered in the upper room following the Ascension of Jesus. As they waited for the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they prayed together.

For the next nine days, we will do the same for Suzanna.

><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+


Glorious wonder-worker, St. Peregrine, you answered the divine call with a ready spirit, and forsook all the comforts of a life of ease and all the empty honors of the world to dedicate yourself to God in the Order of His holy Mother.

You labored manfully for the salvation of souls. In union with Jesus crucified, you endured painful sufferings with such patience as to deserve to be healed miraculously of an incurable cancer in your leg by a touch of His divine hand.

Obtain for me the grace to answer every call of God and to fulfill His will in all the events of life. Enkindle in my heart a consuming zeal for the salvation of all men.

Deliver Susanna from the infirmities that afflict her body, especially the cancer that has been found.

Obtain for her, and her family, also a perfect resignation to the sufferings it may please God to send her and them, so that, imitating our crucified Savior and His sorrowful Mother, they may merit eternal glory in heaven.

St. Peregrine, pray for us and for all who invoke your aid.

St Peregrine Novena Day 4

Suzanna Allen, Johnny's little friend, has Wilm's Tumor, a childhood cancer of the kidneys. They found it on Tuesday, May 3rd and discovered on May 4th that it had already spread to her lungs.

Normally, this is a very treatable cancer with good response to chemo and super low incidences of recurrence. However, since it has metastasized, the cancer is much more serious.

><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+

Please join us in a novena to St. Peregrine, the patron saint of cancer patients. He himself was cured of cancer in the 1300s after receiving a vision of Jesus. Invite any and everyone you know to help us present prayers before the Father that He might heal this beautiful little girl.

A novena means we will pray this prayer every day for nine days.
For Those who are unfamiliar, this is tradition of prayer that dates back to the Apostles, gathered in the upper room following the Ascension of Jesus. As they waited for the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they prayed together.

For the next nine days, we will do the same for Suzanna.

><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+


Glorious wonder-worker, St. Peregrine, you answered the divine call with a ready spirit, and forsook all the comforts of a life of ease and all the empty honors of the world to dedicate yourself to God in the Order of His holy Mother.

You labored manfully for the salvation of souls. In union with Jesus crucified, you endured painful sufferings with such patience as to deserve to be healed miraculously of an incurable cancer in your leg by a touch of His divine hand.

Obtain for me the grace to answer every call of God and to fulfill His will in all the events of life. Enkindle in my heart a consuming zeal for the salvation of all men.

Deliver Susanna from the infirmities that afflict her body, especially the cancer that has been found.

Obtain for her, and her family, also a perfect resignation to the sufferings it may please God to send her and them, so that, imitating our crucified Savior and His sorrowful Mother, they may merit eternal glory in heaven.

St. Peregrine, pray for us and for all who invoke your aid.

St Peregrine Novena Day 3

Suzanna Allen, Johnny's little friend, has Wilm's Tumor, a childhood cancer of the kidneys. They found it on Tuesday, May 3rd and discovered on May 4th that it had already spread to her lungs.

Normally, this is a very treatable cancer with good response to chemo and super low incidences of recurrence. However, since it has metastasized, the cancer is much more serious.

><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+

Please join us in a novena to St. Peregrine, the patron saint of cancer patients. He himself was cured of cancer in the 1300s after receiving a vision of Jesus. Invite any and everyone you know to help us present prayers before the Father that He might heal this beautiful little girl.

A novena means we will pray this prayer every day for nine days.
For Those who are unfamiliar, this is tradition of prayer that dates back to the Apostles, gathered in the upper room following the Ascension of Jesus. As they waited for the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they prayed together.

For the next nine days, we will do the same for Suzanna.

><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+


Glorious wonder-worker, St. Peregrine, you answered the divine call with a ready spirit, and forsook all the comforts of a life of ease and all the empty honors of the world to dedicate yourself to God in the Order of His holy Mother.

You labored manfully for the salvation of souls. In union with Jesus crucified, you endured painful sufferings with such patience as to deserve to be healed miraculously of an incurable cancer in your leg by a touch of His divine hand.

Obtain for me the grace to answer every call of God and to fulfill His will in all the events of life. Enkindle in my heart a consuming zeal for the salvation of all men.

Deliver Susanna from the infirmities that afflict her body, especially the cancer that has been found.

Obtain for her, and her family, also a perfect resignation to the sufferings it may please God to send her and them, so that, imitating our crucified Savior and His sorrowful Mother, they may merit eternal glory in heaven.

St. Peregrine, pray for us and for all who invoke your aid.

St Peregrine Novena Days 1 & 2

A friend sent me this, and I'd ask any of you to join in praying for this little girl.  I'm a day behind, so I'll post Days 1 & 2 today to catch up.

Suzanna Allen has Wilm's Tumor, a childhood cancer of the kidneys. They found it on Tuesday, May 3rd and discovered on May 4th that it had already spread to her lungs.

Normally, this is a very treatable cancer with good response to chemo and super low incidences of recurrence. However, since it has metastasized, the cancer is much more serious.

><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+

Please join us in a novena to St. Peregrine, the patron saint of cancer patients. He himself was cured of cancer in the 1300s after receiving a vision of Jesus. Invite any and everyone you know to help us present prayers before the Father that He might heal this beautiful little girl.

A novena means we will pray this prayer every day for nine days.
For Those who are unfamiliar, this is tradition of prayer that dates back to the Apostles, gathered in the upper room following the Ascension of Jesus. As they waited for the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they prayed together.

For the next nine days, we will do the same for Suzanna.

><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+><>+


Glorious wonder-worker, St. Peregrine, you answered the divine call with a ready spirit, and forsook all the comforts of a life of ease and all the empty honors of the world to dedicate yourself to God in the Order of His holy Mother.

You labored manfully for the salvation of souls. In union with Jesus crucified, you endured painful sufferings with such patience as to deserve to be healed miraculously of an incurable cancer in your leg by a touch of His divine hand.

Obtain for me the grace to answer every call of God and to fulfill His will in all the events of life. Enkindle in my heart a consuming zeal for the salvation of all men.

Deliver Suzanna from the infirmities that afflict her body, especially the cancer that has been found.

Obtain for her, and her family, also a perfect resignation to the sufferings it may please God to send her and them, so that, imitating our crucified Savior and His sorrowful Mother, they may merit eternal glory in heaven.

St. Peregrine, pray for us and for all who invoke your aid.

Knitting Thursday

There's nothing much to report today.  I've started on the sleeves for Charlotte's dress, but I need to roll up more yarn now.  I'm not quite finished with the raglan portion of my sweater.  Kieran decided that he needs a green sweater, so I started looking through patterns and found a couple of options.  His will be a lighter, sage-y green, and I think I'll use this pattern, or maybe this one.  Which one would you choose?  I'm in no rush, as I imagine it'll be his Christmas present.

Full-Term Breastfeeding in Public

Time to combine two topics that are sometimes seen as controversial in and of themselves: full-term breastfeeding (sometimes called extended breastfeeding) and breastfeeding in public.  If you know me, you know I fully support breastfeeding in public, and I'm still breastfeeding my 3-year-old because he's not ready to wean completely yet, and I'm not going to force him.  I think both of these things should be more widespread, yet I'd given little thought to the logical step of full-term breastfeeding in public as well.  One reason given for promoting breastfeeding in public is to normalise breastfeeding, since the more it is seen, the more it will be accepted.  Would this not also apply to full-term breastfeeding?  I think it would, personally.

I was thinking about this yesterday when Kieran wanted me to come outside with him while he played with his friends.  He then added that he wanted milk outside.  At first I tried to put him off, to tell him that he could have it later, but then I questioned why I was telling him that.  Did I have a good reason?  Not really.  I simply wanted to avoid any comments from the other adults out there (or even from the other kids).  Now, I've breastfed him in public fairly recently, but usually it's around others who are like-minded about breastfeeding, so I've not been nervous.  Yesterday I was a little nervous, but I went ahead and fed him because I reasoned that I couldn't let my nervousness adversely affect him.  I don't want him to think that breastfeeding in public is taboo, because it shouldn't be.  I just hadn't thought about how my attitude and nervousness would affect him like that before.  Perhaps now I won't be so quick to say "no" if the only reason behind the "no" is because we're in public.  And if someone comments or questions, hopefully I'll have the presence of mind to answer respectfully, and with the relevant information on the continued benefits of full-term breastfeeding.

Developmental Checks

I've formed the opinion that developmental checks are rather silly overall.  That's not to say that they don't do some good, as I'm sure they can help if a child is very behind, but I think a lot of it is silly.  Some of the things that were listed were more about societal expectations than truly developmental.

I also object to the declaration that all children of this age should do these certain things, because every child is different and will reach different milestones at different times.  Yes, you can say that the majority of children of a certain age will reach certain milestones around that age, but I think it can lead to unwarranted alarm when parents are told to contact their healthcare provider if their child isn't meeting one of those benchmarks.    I suppose I don't have to worry as much since my children do not attend nursery or school, so there isn't the constant comparison of what one child can do and another can't.  Personally, I think it's healthy to ditch the comparisons.

While I've felt this way for a while, I do admit that my ideas became more fleshed out after reading an article written by Mayim Bialik (aka Blossom, for those of us who grew up in that era).  I think this quote sums it up, "Barring outstanding medical concerns, I believe in letting children progress in their own way and pace, modeling behavior while respecting the innate development of a child as an autonomous and purposeful creature."

Do Unto Others

During my on-going journey of parenting, I've necessarily been wrestling with my ideas on discipline. It's easy to come up with a plan when they're really little, but a bit different when it comes to putting it into action as they grow, in my opinion. As I've been examining this, the phrase that keeps coming back to me is the “Golden Rule”: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

In fact, this phrase comes back to me with a lot of my parenting decisions, not just discipline. I try to stop and think about whether I would want to be treated in that way. Yes, we need to direct our children, as they don't understand some of the dangers and need to learn how to listen to and respect others, but there are different ways to accomplish that. I also remember wanting that respect as a child. I was much more likely to do something without complaint if I were asked instead of told, for I then felt that my parents respected me enough to ask. That doesn't mean that all those things were optional (they weren't), but that respect was still there, and I appreciated, and still appreciate, that.

So how does this work in practise? Well, for one it means that I try to look at the “why” behind the “what” when it comes to my children's behaviour. Why is my son screaming? Is it just because he's tired and hungry? Well, I can fix that easily enough and then talk to him about it. Why is my daughter getting into things she shouldn't? Is it because she needs my attention but wasn't getting it? I can fix that. Why isn't my son picking up his toys? Does he just not want to do so? Then I can talk to him and explain that it's important to pick up toys before moving on to the next task and tell him that I need his help to do it. If that doesn't work, I can explain that we can't go outside or do whatever activity he wanted until we've picked up the toys, which will usually motivate him. Now, I'm not talking about coercion or bribing, but explaining that our actions have consequences and that we are in charge of how we act, but we also have to accept the consequences. I see a lot of myself in my kids' stubbornness, so perhaps that helps me a bit.

Following the Golden Rule also means that I apologise to them when I've done something wrong. If I've raised my voice or have gotten cross with them over a trifling matter, then I admit that I was wrong and ask their forgiveness. I'm trying to teach them that this respect goes both ways, and also modelling how I want them to act.

Now, I'm not perfect, and I don't have all the answers. I'm still learning every day, for each day is a step into the unknown. That being said, I think it important to continue to strive to parent with respect, to parent by following the Golden Rule.

Danger

Perhaps the real danger here is writing this when I'm sleep-deprived, but here we go.

I was thinking recently of the danger of ever thinking we have everything figured out in a certain subject.  Not only is this pride, but I think it leads to complacency, and a tendency to look down on others instead of recognising their contributions and ideas.  Now, just downplaying our talents and knowledge also isn't good, for we don't want to cultivate either false humility or a rejection of our true talents.

For years I was quite prideful regarding my intellect, to the point where I didn't readily accept justified criticism and is one reason I didn't get on well with my supervisor.  In looking back I can easily see all the things I didn't and don't know.  I do still struggle at times with being an intellectual snob, I admit, though I'm learning.

As annoying as this was with purely intellectual pursuits, I think the real danger was when I was so certain in my own understanding of spiritual subjects.  Now, I'm not saying that we can't be certain of anything, but that we should never think that we have it all figured out and therefore don't need to learn more or grow more.  I distinctly remember thinking at one point, I think in college, that I pretty much knew all about it and was right and didn't need to learn much more.  Wow.  Too bad that wasn't true.  My pride was puffed up when someone would ask me questions about something or other in the Bible.  I didn't see it as pride then, but I do see it for what it was now.  In fact, it wasn't too long after that that God started putting various questions in my path, leading me to question everything I thought I knew, to strip away the pride that said I knew it all and to instead ask.  Sometimes that old pride creeps up again, and then I'm humbled and reminded that, although I've studied a lot in my journey to Catholicism, there is still quite a lot that I don't know.  It's humbling to admit I don't have the answers, and that I may not even be able to understand all the ins and outs (at the very least not without a lot more study), and therefore need to trust those whom God has placed in leadership.  My very being chafes against following another sometimes, and other times I find it very freeing, once I've let go of that pride.

I'm sure this is all very disjointed, but I hope it makes some sense.  I've been up since 4.45, so it might be completely nonsensical.

Why I Want to Home Educate: Time

This reason is perhaps a bit more frivolous, but I was thinking about this lately.  I think I'd have a hard time getting the kids to school on time with a minimum of fussing.  My kids aren't morning people.  They do wake up early because of the sun (and won't that be fun once it hits summer and it gets light around 3.00), but both of them like to go back to bed after Mass most mornings.  I also find that I'm sometimes more rushed getting them out the door when we have to be somewhere at a certain time.  Now, I know that if we were in a routine with it, that likely wouldn't be the case, since we're rarely rushed getting out the door for Mass.  Obviously this isn't the foremost reason for me, but just something I was thinking about recently.

On a more serious note about time, though, home educating also means my children will have more time to devote to subjects they enjoy, or will have more time to master a concept.  They won't be rushed with it and won't have to either move on before they're ready or lag behind waiting for others to catch up.  They won't have to worry about the arbitrary schedules that the teacher must follow.  They won't have to curtail their time to look at other subjects that are not subject to standardised testing (I'll not get into my rant on standardised testing right now other than to say that I think they're often a better test of how good a test-taker a person is and not a true measure of what they know; this isn't always true, but often, in my opinion).

Book Nook

In honour of today being the feast day of St George, I've chosen The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame.  I've not gotten around to reading Shakespeare's Henry V to them yet, thus why that one wasn't chosen for today.  

I grew up watching and loving the Disney short, but hadn't known it was based on a book until I had children.  We love Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, so I figured we'd get this book and see how it is.  Unfortunately the kids haven't let me read it to them all the way through yet, but both have liked what has been read.  Often with new books they walk away a few times at first, but then will read through it all the way.  The book does feature St George meeting the dragon, thus the connection to today.  So, happy feast of St George!

St George

I might have to re-read Henry V today, just for this speech:

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;

Or close the wall up with our English dead.

In peace there's nothing so becomes a man

As modest stillness and humility:

But when the blast of war blows in our ears,

Then imitate the action of the tiger;

Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,

Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage;

Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;

Let pry through the portage of the head

Like the brass cannon; let the brow o'erwhelm it

As fearfully as doth a galled rock

O'erhang and jutty his confounded base,

Swill'd with the wild and wasteful ocean.

Now set the teeth and stretch the nostril wide,

Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit

To his full height. On, on, you noblest English.

Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof!

Fathers that, like so many Alexanders,

Have in these parts from morn till even fought

And sheathed their swords for lack of argument:

Dishonour not your mothers; now attest

That those whom you call'd fathers did beget you.

Be copy now to men of grosser blood,

And teach them how to war. And you, good yeoman,

Whose limbs were made in England, show us here

The mettle of your pasture; let us swear

That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not;

For there is none of you so mean and base,

That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.

I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,

Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:

Follow your spirit, and upon this charge

Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'