I’ve been asked to post some information about circumcision and homebirth.

Circumcision is not recommended by any national or international medical association in the world because the real risks of the procedure outweigh any potential benefits.
The Case Against Circumcision article, superb.
http://oknocirc.blogspot.com I wrote this one; you’ve seen it. Many good links in the page and at the bottom of it.
http://cirp.org Clearinghouse of all the medical information and studies done on circumcision, ever.

Homebirth is at least as safe as hospital birth for both the mother and the child when planned with a trained midwife or birth attendant.
http://www.midwifemama.com/ A friend’s midwife’s site.
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/homebirthissues.asp good article from Midwifery Today
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/forumdisplay.php?f=20 homebirth discussion forums at Mothering
http://www.mothering.com/articles/pregnancy_birth/homebirth/homebirth.html articles published in Mothering Magazine

I’ll try to post more later, but that should be a good start!

Sean’s still fixing the wiring of the house. He’s hindered by the fact that the bulk of the work he needs to do now is right above the room where the children are sleeping, so he can’t be LOUD WITH A JIGSAW AND CLONKING NOISES whenever he wants. Single or childless men, take note, and go make some noise because you can! He’s bolted our bookcases to the wall in the dining room and it feels good to unpack our books - most of them had been in storage for the last year. Ahh!

Anyway, I said I would post some pictures. Well, you’ll have to wait. Drat.

If the amount of dirt present on my children at the end of the day is any indication then we are really enjoying having our own backyard.

Abby’s birthday was yesterday! Happy #4 Miss G! Pictures to come. Really, I promise, as soon as I find the cable. I think I saw it in a box in the garage.

I’ve been busy researching early sixteenth century Irish clothing (I recommend http://reconstructinghistory.com/ as an excellent source!) because I am going to get back into the SCA. I obviously have completely lost my mind because that will involve camping, in medieval fashion, with my four children. Not to mention that I’ll be making clothes for all of us. Ack I am crazy! But, hey.

And to end up, this stuff is the best bug repellent ever. And no yucky DEET!

That is all.

Here’s to the father around these parts (see below, when he was about 6 months from holding his first child - he’s the one with the moustache.)

- and to my father, Wirt Harris and to Sean’s father, Paul.

We love you, and cannot express in words how much you mean to us.

Happy Father’s Day, everyone!

No, not mine!

I put 16yo nephew’s hair into the beginnings of dreadlocks today. It’s sectioned off but hasn’t been waxed or backcombed, so they aren’t locked in. It looks so neat! It’s unique and really suits him. I took pix which I’ll post when we find the camera cable.

Just a quick random note:

I’m ready to be unpacked, please. I need a minishower because this is one a them newfangled low-flow terlets. The girls love the new house. Faith and Gilbert are the most emotionally unsettled by the Extreme Change, Bede and Abaigeal are taking it all in stride. However that means I’m constantly holding Gilbert… in my NEW ERGO from the lovely and talented Abigail! And doing my best to be patient with Faith who is very, very trying this week. Argh! I’m alternating serenity nows with goosfrabas, seems to help.

Anyway, whew! Soon as I get unpacked and the swingset fixed in the backyard I’m going to have a housewarming partay with all the unschoolers and crunchy folk. So that’s the next big project. Between my engineer brother and my handy DH they should get that thing fixed right up.

More later, love to all.

The stage will be empty here for a few days, as I said, with much thudding and mumbles in the dark. I’m glad - I’m arguing more than I usually do at my favorite forums and I’m sure it’s from Moving Stress Ack! If you feel slighted by me online please have some mercy, for I am Moving.

It makes me think I belong in some essay by Fran Lebowitz.

Anyway if I’ve been an ass, please, let me be the first to say 1. I’m not surprised and 2. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it!

So we’re in the middle of a move, you see. The Big Day Of The Big Truck is Monday, after that we’ll be without teh Intarweb for three agonizing days! How will you do without us?!?!

Here’s some interesting stuff to read and do while you wait.

The Continuum Concept website. I think this is on my top ten list of most influential books in the Life of Fee.

The Lost Tools of Learning, by Dorothy Sayers. I wonder if my kids will want to learn this way?

Orisinal, to relax your brain after that heavy reading!

Enjoy.

See you next week, I hope!

I discovered StudyDog last night and wow do we like it! Between that and Starfall we’re all set, for free!

And he’s proud of it, too!