Interesting - Nature's signs for predicting earthquakes

It's pretty much a given that by now everyone knew about the massive earthquake in China. What is little known about it was some of the interesting phenomenon that happen prior to the quake. I ran across this a few nights ago and found it very interesting. I've read about earthquake clouds before, but not earthquake lights. Evidence are so scarce that this phenomenon is not yet considered a scientific fact. The quake lights related to the Sechuan disaster was the first time such lights were well documented. You can only imagine if it was a known scientific fact, we probably could have a much less disastrous outcome.

Earthquake lights: Video 1 Video 2 Wiki

Here's some info about earthquake clouds if you're interested. The scientist that champions this theory set up his own site. I read somewhere that of all the predictions he made, he has a 70+% accuracy, his most famous being the earthquake in Bam, Iran, last year.

Earthquake clouds: Info Scientist's site

Superheroes

At playgroup last Friday, I guess Benji and friends were playing superheroes. In the evening after I got back from work, Benji was asking, "Why is Zane Spiderman and Ian Superman?" 

"Well, we don't know. Maybe that's what they like", we said.

Benji replied, "I am Monkey Man....... I shoot webs".

Monkey Man? Monkey who shoots web? Wonder if Stan Lee would create a Monkey Man character for his new comic superhero? I suppose since we don't expose our kids to TV and cartoons, it would be perfectly normal for a young boy to conjure up his superhero image from his own creative imagination.

I can already see the plot for how Monkey Man comes to being..... a genetically modified monkey and spider each bit the scientist in a terrible lab accident, creating a supermutation of all three genes, deriving the best qualities of each species.

I seem to be the exception

I spent some time this evening browsing through some old college friends' facebook accounts. It was fun to look at the pictures they have added and see what they've been up to. One thing I have noticed is that when people move to Asia, it seems they all loose at least 10 pounds. It must be some kind of agreement you sign before you land at the airport. They all look great, and I swear I'm not jealous. Not even the tiniest bit. And here's the reason. I really love ice cream. And cookies. And chocolate. And sugar in general. And I'd rather be a little pudgy at the waistline but with a smile on my face due to the fact that I just ate a cookie. I know, I'm simple but that's who I am. :)

But all that is beside the point. My point is that I seem to be the exception to this automatic-10-pound-weight loss requirement when going to Asia. I have been several times (Japan in 1998, Malaysia and Singapore in 1999, China in 2000, and Malaysia again in 2002). And every single time that I landed in an Asian country I did not loose weight but GAINED weight. But honestly, it only makes sense. Look at these pictures and tell me you wouldn't want to gain weight too:



I personally would much prefer to pack on the pounds eating the above food instead of Big Macs and fries. (No offense to the Big-mac-and-fries people, which would include my husband.) However, I also would like to follow the above food with a hot fudge sundae. East and West merge - right in my tummy.

Okay, I am making myself seriously hungry but it's 11:20 p.m. and I don't need to be eating so instead I will go to bed and dream of yummy Malaysian food and yummy American desserts. Sweet dreams.

What do you do when you're camping and it starts to rain?

You go driving. And when it stops raining 30 minutes later, what do you do? You get gas and let your son help - he's ecstatic.

If only he could pay too!

Then what do you do? You eat lunch at Sonic and both of your sons think it's the best food ever.

The ice cream cone purchased there was probably on the list of the top 3 things Benji enjoyed on his 2 night camping trip.

Despite our little car trip due to the rain, the rest of the weekend was wonderful. It was my first experience doing a hike-in camp site (though only a short hike - 1/4 mile). Benji didn't complain hiking back and forth several times a day - a big surprise. We enjoyed the added privacy the site provided, with no neighbors too close by. The biggest hit was definitely playing in the nearby creek (Lee Creek). The boys would literally sit and throw rocks into the creek for HOURS. Those of you with daughters, do girls do this? Personally I never remember being so obsessed with rock-throwing. But perhaps there are girls out there with the same passion. And Benji learned to skip rocks this weekend, which I was pretty impressed at because I only mastered that skill this weekend too... and I'm 28. However, like I said, I did not have a huge rock-throwing career in my past. I guess that my skills will drastically improve the next few years being the only female in our family. It was hot (in fact, too hot for May if you ask me) so we went swimming as well. I can see that we'll be spending a lot of time in the water this summer, as it seems to be a place where everybody is happy. Here is a picture of Zachary, the serious rock thrower because after all, throwing rocks is serious business.

Too tired to eat

Zachary asleep in the car this afternoon, just too tired for that last bite of graham cracker

Benji asleep in the car 2 years ago

Pure joy

Pure joy is watching children dance to music in the park. And it's even greater when they're your own children. Today Zachary imitated some of the moves to "Love Shack" - beyond cute. At the end of the evening Benji said, "That was a fun party." I couldn't have agreed more. We shall be heading back to Gulley Park for more of their summer concerts.

Sleep

This will likely be a boring post for non-parents. Actually, it might be a boring post for parents too. But it's my blog so I'll blog what I want to...

Zachary stopped nursing to sleep about a month ago (with some encouragement from me - I don't think either of my boys would have ever self-weaned without some prompting from Mommy). Then we night weaned this weekend (meaning when Zac wakes up throughout the night, the milk bar is closed). Both transitions were quite easy and painless. In general we have found that if we wait to make these kinds of changes with our boys, if they're ready it will be no big deal. If we try to push things before they're ready, big deal. So we tend to wait. No need to add to the crying we hear everyday - there is plenty as it is.

So now when Zac wakes up (he still co-sleeps with us), to go back to sleep he climbs on top of me - it doesn't matter if it's my front or my back and promptly goes back to sleep. I'm all about snuggling - in the daytime. But at night I really don't like any person touching me - whether that be child or husband. I like my space in bed. So far I wait until he's asleep and then roll him back on his side of the bed. Hopefully he can get the idea that the bed really is more comfortable than all my lumps and bumps.

But now on to the good news... last night Zac slept from 8:30 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. without waking up ONCE. This, my friends, is what is called "sleeping through the night." People start asking if your baby is "sleeping through the night" at around age 2 months. Well folks, we finally made it - only our baby is 19 months.

[Actually, I think that milestone is completely overrated, at least for co-sleeping families. Even though Zac (and Benji too) would wake up many, many times a night to nurse, all I had to do was roll over, give them a little milk, and they were back asleep. And I hardly moved a muscle. I know co-sleeping isn't for everyone but I think it's AWESOME. However, I also think sleeping from 8:30 until 5 is AWESOME.]

Random thoughts

This will be a very scattered post, chronicling my miscellaneous thoughts this afternoon:

• There are basically two kinds of blogs - those that are mainly fluff, pictures, and not too much depth (ours) and those that are mainly words and writings (often aspiring writers or just people who enjoy writing). I prefer to read the later and wish that our blog was more of the later but it just doesn't seem to happen... for several reasons. One, I'm not a big writer. I would like to someday be a writer. It sounds fun. It sounds interesting. But even if I have a good idea about something to write about, it never comes out the way I want. Perhaps part of the problem is I don't give myself the time to revise it or think it through all the way because I'm too impatient to move onto the next thing - ? The other major problem is that my brain is having a hard time thinking these days, much less writing. And yes, sorry boys, but I blame you Benji and Zac. Being a mother of young kids, especially a stay-at-home mom, can drain your energy so much that you just don't have the capacity to think too many other thoughts besides, "What should I cook for dinner? How can I make them OBEY? When is Daddy coming home?" My other problem is I wonder how much to share - i.e. how personal to get on my blog. I am not sure if I know where to draw the line, so I don't seem to even approach the line. So if anybody who is reading this has one of the more literary blogs, keep it up because I love to read your blogs!

• Even though summer has not officially begun, the last two days have been in the mid-80's which means it is summer regardless of what the calendar says. The last two days around lunchtime/naptime I have been a mean mother with a very short temper. I am reminded of how much weather can affect me. No, this is not an excuse - I am responsible for my behavior regardless of my circumstances (something I'm constantly telling Benji, by the way). But I will be wise and remember to just sit down and cool off under the fan, drinking some ice water rather than tackling a problem/issue right after I come into the front door from playing outside in the heat. It's better for me; it's better for the kids. The other two mood life-savers for me in the hot Arkansas summers are ice cream and a/c. We end up spending A LOT of money on both every summer but my husband would prefer a happy wife rather than the alternative.

• I received an email from a friend wondering why some of her friends have such a struggle with difficult marriages while both of us have such an easy time with such wonderful husbands. It made me think for awhile. It's true - some wives have such a hard time, whereas my husband's worst fault is some other husband's best strength. I am not saying this just to earn brownie points because Shearn Yoong will read this later (but it wouldn't hurt!) - it really is true. So I was thinking - why did I get lucky and others not so much? I wonder if God knew that I really couldn't take a bad marriage. Parenting can be so tough (and I only have TWO children) and some days I feel like I won't make it. If a bad marriage was added into the mixture, I wonder if I might just give up for real. Maybe God knew I needed some grace in the marriage department because I am not that strong of a person. Or perhaps time will give me and my friend with good marriages other suffering that our friends with bad marriage won't have to endure - you know, spread the suffering out into lots of areas. Just ideas. But for now my friend and I will be thankful that God gave us some good men.

• I am becoming terrified of adolescence. I know, our boys are 1 1/2 and 3 1/2 so we've got a long way to go. I am reading a book called "Songs without words" which is a very good book. But it has a very depressed teenager in it and has me as a mother wonder how I would respond if one of our boys was extremely depressed. I just don't know how I would go on. I'd probably join them in depression. Though I myself wasn't into too much trouble as a teenager, I knew plenty of people who were and it just terrifies me to think of my boys in those situations. I know, all the more reason to start some serious praying now.
  

The joy of slides

Benji's expression is worth clicking on the picture to make it bigger

Zac won't be left out on the fun either

Hiking with young children

Hiking with young children is definitely a different experience. The pace is much slower, but you are forced to appreciate the finer aspects of nature. Like stopping to smell the wild flowers...
and the importance of lots of rest and snack breaks to rejuvenate the body...and the joy of throwing rocks in a creek.

We don't cover as much ground but we experience each step more with young children.

Wanna be like Grandpa

Zac: "Wow - that's amazing Grandpa!"

"I want to try too."

The good life

I love this picture of Benji enjoying a warm Mother's day at the peony farm with bare feet - it doesn't get much better than that, does it?

Both boys seemed to think the lawn chairs were the main attraction rather than the rows and rows of gorgeous peonies. Oh well, to each his own... personally I prefer flowers.