Reward

When living with young boys no day is complete without a call to Poison Control.  (Actually this is my second call ever.)  Noah has gotten very into oral hygiene lately.  Lots of teeth brushing.  Of course he wants to do all parts of it himself.
"ok, let's put the tooth paste on."
"No, I do it!"
"Ok, but remember to spit it out--do NOT swallow it."
"OK."
He's actually very good at it.

Before nap I ask the boys to go potty and wash their germy little hands.  Noah was taking an especially long time with the hand washing.  I open the door, and there stands Noah the dentist brushing away while the water level in the slow draining sink rises higher and higher.
"Ok, that's enough."

A minute or two later I realize that I really have no idea how much toothpaste was used or whether or not it was spat out.  Because as every mom knows, if you don't give your child directions every time they do the same daily task, they will forget all applicable rules.

"Noah, did you spit out the toothpaste"
(quietly) "yeah...."
"Noah.  Did you spit it out or swallow it?"
"swallow it..."
uuuugggghhhhhh......

The boys pediatrician was not in the office yet, so I called poison control.
"What brand of toothpaste was it?"
"Colgate."
"Ok, Colgate does have fluoride in it."
(yes, I know.  I told you that.)
"Has he had any vomiting or tummy pain?"
"No."
"We recommend giving them milk.  Milk helps bind up the fluoride, so it can pass through easier.  If he has vomiting or diarrhea lasting more than a couple hours take him in."
"OK, thank you."

Milk?  "Call the poison control center immediately" so they can tell me to give him milk?  I call that a reward for bad behavior....  I understand that it would be different if he swallowed half of the tube instead of the 1/4 teaspoon that was probably used.  I just think they could make the instructions on the back a little clearer and maybe give a few measurements to help out.  After I gave him the milk, I should have said that the next part of the cure was vinegar.  Gotta add a little bit of punishment to this.

booger

Noah bounces up to me, finger joyously aloft.  I know what this means.  There is a booger on the finger of that smiling boy, and he sees it as my job to dispose of it.


me:  booger?
noah:  uh huh!
me:  go wipe it on a kleenex and throw it away.
noah: (giggling) noooo!
me:  yes.  go wipe it on a kleenex.
Then Noah, with a huge grin, opens his MOUTH and deposits the offending booger inside.
Me:  AGH!  did u just put that in your mouth?!
Noah: (giggling still)  uh huh!  it gone now!  

Splinters

David and Noah were in the bathtub after an evening full of outdoor play.
Noah:  "mom, my hand hurts."
me:  "what's wrong with it?"
Noah:  "Got scratch."
I took his wet little hand in mine.  There was no scratch--it had 3 splinters lodge in it.  Ah man!  Poor kid!  I did not want to inflict pain on his tiny hand 3 times!  All of them were completely in the skin.  There was no end for the tweezers to grab onto.

Well, I pulled out a tiny pin and a pair of tweezers.  David knew the drill already.  Before i could even say it, he said, "you can't look, Noah!"  Yup, that is the rule.  If you look and know what is going on, it hurts worse.

But inquisitive little Noah was not going to willingly avert his eyes.  David looked at him and repeated, "You can't look, Noah," and covered Noah's eyes with his hands.  And Noah let him!

I carefully picked out all three splinters.  With the first one Noah sorrowfully whimpered "it hurts!"  But he was a champ the rest of the time.  He did try to pull his hand away a few times, but he never cried, and David never uncovered his eyes.  He stayed right next to him the entire time with his hands clapped over his little brother's eyes.  His forehead touching mine as I bent over Noah's hand, he watched in fascination, studying the minor surgery that was taking place.

Noah came through without a tear with the help of his big brother.  Those little boys amaze me.  I love seeing the little acts of love and protection that David demonstrates.  And Noah's trust in him is unbelievable.  I would've never thought that he would've let David cover his eyes when he knew he was going to experience pain.  He never tried to pull his hands away.  Such good brothers.

Porch Swing

UPDATE.....  

done.  

_________________________________________________________________________________

adorable

Brody in the bathroom

While Noah is in the bathroom I hear...
"Brody, no! Brody, go see mom!"
Then little Noah comes out of the bathroom, pants around his ankles, dragging Brody to me by the collar.

Slumber Party

I promised the boys that we would have a slumber party when Dave went out of town.  Well, he left for L.A. yesterday, so last night was the night!  I planned this for a night when David would not have school in the morning.  I knew that none of us would sleep very well.

We had lots of fun during the "awake" time.  I got nachos from Taco Bell for all of us, and chose Backyardigans to watch.  With it being after Wed night church, I did not want them to stay up for an entire movie.  I decided on 2 episodes.  

Eating Taco Bell chips 'n cheese in my bed

They were so sweet.  You could tell that they loved every minute of it.  Whenever I did something for them, like bring them water or pull up the blanket, they would say "Thank you, Mommy" so sweetly!  it was adorable.  

watching Backyardigans

I tucked them in and turned off the light at about 10pm, 2 hours past their regular bedtime.  I straightened the living room and a few other things, and I could hear them giggling and talking for almost an hour.  Apparently they didn't take my threats very seriously.  

When I finally came to bed, it became an episode of The Waltons.  "Good night!"  "Good night!"  "I love you, David!"  "I love you, Guys!"  "I love you, Noah!"  "I love you, Mommy!"  "love you!"  "Night!" 

And then...  we all fell asleep.  mostly.  Turns out that David mumbles in his sleep.  I was aware of this but did not know of its frequency--often.  He also GIGGLES in his sleep.  giggles.  It's cute and funny now, but in the middle of the night I thought he was awake and just being naughty.  At some point he flipped sideways so fast I didn't realize what was happening until his head was on my stomach.  David: "Ugh, Noah!  move over!"  me: "David, you are laying sideways and kicking your brother."  I straightened him back out.  A while later Noah did the exact same thing!  Straightened him out...  At some point, Noah let out a crying yell.  Just one.  I remember tucking the blankets around them multiple times because they have a tendency to slide down.  Not a very restful night, but the boys had fun.  

6:45 am...  Noah: "it morning time!  It sunny out!"

uuuggghhhh......

gave them trays to catch most (ahem) of the crumbs

The puppies were good too.  They shared a bone when
they were not growling at each other.

my Noah  :)

David insisted that we all hold hands.  Noah grudgingly went along with it.

David and I

My sweet, sweet boy hugging my hand :)

Noah and "puppy"

Brody

Brody

This is Brody.  We also tried out the names Lucas, Henry, and Wagner.  He is a seven week old yellow/white lab.  He is a big baby.  I mean BIG.  He is almost 18 lbs. already.  And I mean BABY.  Lots of whining if anyone leaves the room.  Lots of whining in general.

He is a lazy little stinker.  He does a lot of sitting and laying, not a whole lot of running and pacing like most dogs do.  He sits when he eats.  He sits when he drinks.  When we take him outside, he plops his chubby little butt on the ground and take a few seconds to get up and wander around, looking for a place to pee.  He will run around with Sam, and he does chase, but he is mostly slow at pretty much everything.  He climbs the porch steps one paw at a time.  He is so cute, and the laziness probably makes him even cuter.

My big concern with Brody:  He arrived at our house with fleas.  They had bathed him right before Dave had picked him up, but we through him in the sanitary tub immediately.  We soaped and rinsed, and soaped and rinsed, and soaped and rinsed, and combed and combed.  we added salt to the bath water because we heard that would help.  We found quite a few fleas, but most, if not all of them, were dead.  The only thing I am concerned about now are any eggs that may have been missed.

Eucalyptus

I called the vet, and they suggested Capstar and Frontline.  Capstar is a pill that will kill any adult flea on them within 5-10 min.  Frontline is to repel any more from jumping on board.  Well, I gave both dogs a pill just in case any had jumped on Sam.  But after reading lots of web pages stating that Frontline isn't even safe for your dog, much  less for kids to be around, I could not in good conscience expose the household to that dangerous chemical.  So I read a few pages on natural flea alternatives.

Ask.com said to take 1/4 t. of eucalyptus oil and mix it with 8 oz. of water and spray it everywhere, shaking the bottle for each spray.  the scent repels the fleas, and hopefully drives them out of the house.  Next they suggested buying actual eucalyptus branches and cutting them up the fit in little satchels to place around the house.  The branches can be found at craft stores.  Finally, wintergreen oil can be mixed with water (same ratio) and sprayed all over.  This oil actually kills the eggs.  The site said to use the wintergreen every 3 months.  I am not sure why--maybe it is irritating to the dogs' skin.

Well, obviously I did ALL of the that.  My house smells good, and I have funny little bags of colored sticks and leaves all over my house.  And with what I had left over I made 2 bouquets of the branches, one in the living room, one in our bedroom.  And...  I took a few extra sticks and threw them under our dresser and in our closet.  As much as I hate fleas, I hate fumigating my house a tiny bit more.

I have been spraying both of those oils everywhere.  We have not seen a single flea since the morning after the bath, and even those were dead.  Not only were they dead--they were flat.  Fleas are fat, these looked as if everything had been sucked out of them.  That seems like something that the salt may have done, so hopefully it did the same thing to any eggs and larvae as well.

UUGGHH....  fleas.....  

Lord, please protect my family, house, and dogs from fleas.  Please keep them all safe and healthy.  And, Lord, I pray that no chemical means will need to be used.  Thank you, Lord for Your protection.

I have seen my future... and it's terrifying

Email Chain Letter About Boys

“For those of you who have sons
& those of you who are happy that you don’t.”

And you also find out interesting things when you have sons, like…
1.) A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft.
house 4 inches deep.
2.) If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with
roller blades, they can ignite.
3.) A 3-year old Boy’s voice is louder than 200 adults in a
crowded restaurant.
4.) If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not
strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and
a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint
can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20×20 ft. room.
5.) You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on.
When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a
few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a
long way.
6.) The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn’t stop a
baseball hit by a ceiling fan.
7.) When you hear the toilet flush and the words “uh oh”, it’s
already too late.
8.) Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.
9.) A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even
though a 36-year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.
10.) Certain Lego’s will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-
year old Boy.
11.) Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same
sentence.
12.) Super glue is forever.
13.) No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you
still can’t walk on water.
14.) Pool filters do not like Jell-O.
15.) VCR’s do not eject “PB & J” sandwiches even though TV
commercials show they do.
16.) Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.
17.) Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.
18.) You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.
19.) Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys
do not like ovens.
20.) The fire department in Austin , TX has a 5-minute response
time.
21.) The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make
earthworms dizzy.
22.) It will, however, make cats dizzy.
23.) Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.
24.) 80% of Women will pass this on to almost all of their
friends, with or without kids.
25.) 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake
fluid.

Rules

Guys Rules

At last a guy has taken the time to write this all down Finally,

the guys’ side of the story. (I must admit, it’s pretty good.)
We always hear “the rules” From the female side.

Now here are the rules from the male side.
These are our rules!
Please note… These are all numbered “1″ ON PURPOSE!

1. Men ARE not mind readers.

1. Learn to work the toilet seat.
You’re a big girl. If it’s up, put it down.
We need it up, you need it down.
You don’t hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports. It’s like the full moon
Or the changing of the tides.
Let it be..

1. Shopping is NOT a sport.
And no, we are never going to think of it that way.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want.
Let us be clear on this one:
Subtle hints do not work!
Strong hints do not work!
Obvious hints do not work!
Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every
question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it.
That’s what we do.
Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument
In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.

1. If you think you’re fat, you probably are..
Don’t ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the
ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.

1. You can either ask us to do something
Or tell us how you want it done,
Not both.
If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during
commercials..

1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.
Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a
fruit. We have no idea what mauve is. And chartreuse, forget it!!!!!

1. If it itches, it will be scratched.
We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say “nothing,” we will act like
nothing’s wrong.
We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don’t want an answer to, expect an
answer you don’t want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear Is
fine…Really.

1. Don’t ask us what we’re thinking about unless you are prepared
to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation,
Or golf.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!

1. Thank you for reading this.
Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;

But did you know men really don’t mind that? It’s like camping.

boys

that's my boys!  :)

wise man

“Although it is very easy to marry a wife, it is very difficult to support her along with the children and the household. Accordingly, no one notices this faith of Jacob. Indeed, many hate fertility in a wife for the sole reason that the offspring must be supported and brought up. For this is what they commonly say: ‘Why should I marry a wife when I am a pauper and a beggar? I would rather bear the burden of poverty alone and not load myself with misery and want.’ But this blame is unjustly fastened on marriage and fruitfulness. Indeed, you are indicting your unbelief by distrusting God’s goodness, and you are bringing greater misery upon yourself by disparaging God’s blessing. For if you had trust in God’s grace and promises, you would undoubtedly be supported. But because you do not hope in the Lord, you will never prosper.” 
― Martin Luther, The Sermons of Martin Luther

pie

Oh!  I actually made a pie today!  The whole thing from scratch!  And it was good!

I made a chicken pot pie.  AND I made the crust.  Rolling pie crust is not my gift.  I rolled it the best i could...  But it tore a lot and was misshapen and stuck to the counter.  Ugh.  I draped it in the pie plat the best i could and did a lot of pressing, repairing, and stretching.  It was not pretty.  But I filled her up anyway, and went through the whole process again with the top crust.  I could not do as much pressing and prodding, but i did a lot of repairing.  Funny thing is that it wasn't even that obvious that the crust was such a disaster.  The edges were not too pretty, but it looked just fine.

And it tasted even better.  It was good!  Really good.  Great recipe.  So, while I am not about to open a bakery because I suddenly realized that I had missed my calling, it was acceptable.

typical boys :)

The boys spent the morning digging up worms.  Typical boys  :)
They had to take a bath before nap time.  Dirt everywhere.

swim class

I watched Ava tonight during her swim class--well, once she actually got to her class.  Somehow everything got really messed up.  her class had a substitute, which we were unaware of.  I was told that when The teacher got there that she would get Ava.  Nope didn't happen.  Finally after 15 min of no class and no teacher, I asked someone in the office who did not know much about the situation either.  Then I asked a teacher who was IN the pool with a bunch of 2 yr olds.  She pointed out Ava's teacher for me.  Ava's substitute teacher was already in the pool, teaching the class.  That was frustrating.   The lady I had talked to who was teaching the 2 yr olds came up to me at the end and apologized profusely for the mix up.  Poor thing--like it was her fault.

(bottom right was our's)

After lessons i drove Ava home.  All of the doors were locked to her house.  It was cold outside, and Ava had wet hair.  It was almost 8pm by this time, and she had not eaten dinner yet.  I had stopped at Taco Bell for her on the way and had let her have her drink and the least messy food item while we drove.  I knew she had to be starving.  I opened up the front passenger door for her and laid out the rest of her food on her lap on top of the wrappers.  Eat, famished child.  Luckily the toy that she got with her meal was actually a cardboard "robot" that needs to be built.  We spent the rest of the time building a robot.  It made the time go much faster.  Her mom was also running late, so we sat there for 25 minutes.  Oh well, she was enjoyable company tonight.

(obviously Ava)

Bobbie 

tried to help a 6 yr old girl do a handstand tonight. 1st try went just fine. 2nd try.... a flying heel to my temple. (and she had the nerve to complain about her heel.)

 ·  ·

scared

While I was writing about Sam's behavior at the park I forgot about Noah's.

The boys did great on the bike ride.  David LOVED it.  Because he does not have training wheels anymore, he is a faster rider than Noah and me as a dog walker.  He would ride till he was about 20 feet in front of us then stop and wait for us.  I think I only had to tell him to wait twice.  He probably could've ridden all afternoon.

Noah does NOT want to be "Max."

Now this bike path skirts the edge of the park then goes into the woods.  As soon as we got into the woods and everything was shaded Noah said: "It dark in there.  It almost night time."
me:  "No, honey.  It's just the shade.  It's not night time.  The trees aren't letting all of the sunlight through."
Noah: "ok."  but he didn't sound too sure.
He did very well for quite a while, but after we had been in the woods for quite some time he said, "It scary here."
me:  "why is it scary?"
Noah:  "It dark.  There monsters in there."  He pointed out into the trees.
Me:  "oh, honey, there are no monsters in here.  It's not scary."
Noah:  "yes, it is.  there monsters in there."
Me:  "there aren't any monsters, Noah.  We'll go a little bit farther, and then we will turn around ok?"
Noah:  "ok."  still unsure.
He did pretty good for a few more minutes, but you could tell that he was done with the scary forest that was full of sneaky monsters.  He was all too happy to turn around a few minutes later.

A few days later I was talking to Leah, and she said that Elee (3) had done the same thing.  They had been driving through a NEIGHBORHOOD (I think it was in the evening, so maybe it had been dark.); and she suddenly got it in her head that the neighborhood was spooky, and all of the houses were haunted.

I don't know where these kids get these ideas.  We don't let them watch scary movies or shows.  The "monsters" I could see from maybe his superhero shows or Powers Rangers, but Elee thinking the houses are haunted?  Just not sure about that one.  Maybe from cartoons about Halloween.  Silly kids.

rubbers

Noah:  I'm gonna show you something!
Me:  ok
(snatches a bra off of my closet floor and holds it up to his chest)
Noah:  I look like a girl!  (proceeds to squeeze the bra cups)
me:  HAhahaha!!
David:  hey!  he's wearing your rubbers!!
Me: (can't stop laughing) Hahahahaha---my what?!
David:  your rubbers.
Me: Hahahaha!  It's called a bra.

defense

David:  "Noah kicked me in the face!"
Noah:  "He's telling on me!"

worms

Noah:  Aw!  He's so cute!  He's just a baby.  

Me:  Honey, I think you should put him back in the dirt now.

Noah: No!  he's my friend!  I want to keep him forever!

Me: Honey, he's not moving.  I think you should put him back in the dirt.

Noah:  No, I keep him forever.

Me: Ok, honey. 

David:  Aw, he's cute!  I like worms.
(much less drama)

....and I truly think Noah inadvertently killed his worm.  He was not moving.  Poor wormy.

Halo

Another story from the park...

A few days ago Leah and I met up at the park with our kiddos.  Kobe did a great job playing with the younger kids and including them in the "games."  They started playing "Halo," and proclaimed themselves aliens and zombies  (are there zombies in Halo?).  Noah adamantly refused to be anything but a spider.  Way to cooperate, kid.

Two other boys wanted to join in the game too.  Kobe told them what they were playing and the 'character options.'  One of the boys was just fine with it and chose to be a zombie.  The other boy...  "I'm gonna be a murderer."  um, what was that?  I think Kobe was kinda thinking the same thing, but he played it off.
Kobe: "ok, like a murdering zombie."
Boy: "No, a murderer.  I'm just a regular guy who likes to stab people."  

Let's keep in mind that this boy is approximately 8 yr old.  He is not a gothed out 15 yr old.  What 8 yr old think like this?  I know some kids like playing the 'bad guy' (Noah), but this was extreme.  I couldn't believe he had just said this stuff.  And he said it in front of my very young, impressionable boys.  Well...  Mama bear came out...  I marched over to the murderer and said, "No, you are not going to play with my kids and pretend to be a murderer.  That's disgusting.  Pick something else."

He looked at me, and i could tell he was embarrassed, but he smiled and said "ok."  Good.  I'm glad he wasn't one of those kids who like to argue with adults.  He comes up to me a minute later (mind you--the game is still Halo.  aliens, zombies, and a spider) and says, "I'm gonna be a rich guy, is that ok?"  Well, that was the weirdest alternative I had ever heard.  "yeah, that's fine."  wow.....  Kobe's face became priceless at this point.  Murderer tells Kobe his great plan.  You could tell Kobe still wanted to try to spin this kid's character into something that fit into game, but he knew there was no point.  He said, "ok" and walked away. Very well handled, Kobe.  Murderer had to step it up a notch though.  he starts chasing after Kobe.  "Hey, I even made up a song about money!"  walking, walking, walking...  "Get lots of money.  I got to get lots of money.  I have a lot of money......"   walking, walking, walking....  


I am now greatly concerned about this kid's home life.  Now, I have to keep in mind that he did listen to what I said to him with out a hint of arguing, so he probably isn't completely ignored at home.  However, I fear his father may be a murderer.  Or.... this is the more likely scenario:  he probably watches whatever he wants on TV and plays violent video/computer games.  Obviously, that was a guess, but it fits.  He also may play with all older kids in his neighborhood, and "murderers" is a common game amongst them.  Either way, the whole situation was so very weird.  Now, the "rich guy"?  No clue.  maybe more adult TV shows....  Watching some Mad Men and Sopranos.  No idea about that one.  He managed to come up with the weirdest 'characters' I had ever heard of, especially from an 8 yr old.

bike rides

I took the boys to the park to ride their bikes this afternoon.  The park has a great wide, paved bike trail that goes through the woods.  We took the dog with us (on a leash, of course).  The kids had fun riding, and i think the dog enjoyed himself as well.  There wasn't any territory marking though.  I thought that was odd.  Lots of sniffing, no peeing.

Regardless.....  that was a side note....  Puppy is protective like crazy!   Which I believe is a good thing, but....  He growled/barked at almost every person we passed.  He did not bark or growl at single females though, but if there was a man anywhere NEAR us, he kinda went crazy.  So, now that I think about it--you are a great dog, Sam!  good boy!  He only growled/ barked at the ones he saw as a threat.  Of course, a woman could be a threat to us as well, but I am sure if any of them acted in such a way he would've gone crazy at them too.

After the bike ride the boys wanted to play at the playground.  Well, after witnessing Sam's protective display, I figured the playground may not be the best idea for him.  So, we took him home and drove right back to the playground so the kids could play.

Sam is very worn out now.  hahaha!  Protecting one's family really takes it out of you!

prayers

‎"And He (God) from His vantage point above time, can, if He pleases take all prayers into account in ordaining that vast complex event which is the history of the universe. For what we call "future" prayers have always been present to Him." --C. S. Lewis

photo shoot

A friend of mine's church is using "Antiquities Photos" (sp?) as a fund raiser.  For 10 bucks the kiddos put on costumes and use props to make antique-y photos with a sepia color tone.  It has an old farmers/cowboys/Huck Finn feel to it.  


I took my boys to have their's done this afternoon.  It was so cute.  I was given the choice of overalls or tuxedo  (slightly baggy for cuteness).  I chose overalls with no shirts and bare feet.  They looked like 2 little boys in the 30's on their way down to the creek to go fishing.  


The photographer set them up in a fishing scene, baseball, cowboy, business man, and a few more.  It was adorable.  He threw some oversize hats on them, gave them fishing poles, and stuck their hands in their pockets. It was so, so cute.  

I am looking forward to getting my 10"x13."  I am slightly concerned about seeing all over the other shots though.  I know I will fall in love with them and wan to buy them all.  And, let me tell you, the package prices are not cheap.  Even the cheapest package was over $100.  Oh well, we'll see what happens.  :)

dinner

the goof balls at dinner last night.
they requested smoothies for their drinks.  They gradually became colder and colder as they sucked down cup fulls of blended ice and frozen berries.

1 Corinthians 2:7-9 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,”What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”

The germ theory of disease was not really fully developed until the 1870s but, 30 years before this, a doctor in Vienna called Ignaz Semmelweis made a discovery that was very important but not accepted at all at the time. Semmelweis worked in a maternity hospital where the death rate of mothers and babies was extremely high because of an infection commonly known as child bed fever or puerperal fever. However, Semmelweis quickly made a very unpopular observation; he noticed that the ward run by midwives had a much lower death rate than a ward run by doctors.

At that time, doctors went from one patient to another without washing their hands, so the bacteria that caused child bed fever were transmitted easily around the ward. Semmelweis’ suggestion that doctors cleaned up between patients, and wore clean coats for the ward and different clothing for the room where post mortems were carried out achieved a huge drop in death rates. However, his claim that the doctors were doing a worse job than the midwives led to him being shunned by his colleagues and dismissed from his position.

After getting another job in another hospital, and making the same observations and improvements, Semmelweis was again heavily criticised and lost his job. He died (actually he was murdered by the guards) in 1865 in a mental institution, widely regarded as a madman, and never lived to see the theory that tiny particles, invisible to the naked eye, could carry infectious disease from person to person.

http://www.typesofbacteria.co.uk/how-when-were-bacteria-discovered.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignaz_Semmelweis

best part

I completely forgot about the BEST part of our outing yesterday to Home Depot.  I had told Noah in the car that he could sit on the lawn mowers as long as they were out.  I was not sure when they actually starts displaying lawn mowers inside the store.  


So as we were walking in a fellow female customer was walking out.  Noah must have thought she worked there.  I walked right on past her, but Noah stopped her, turned his little face up and asked, "You have lawn mowers yet?"  He was on a mission.  All remnants of shyness and attitude were gone.  He needed to know the status of the mowers.  The lady looked at me, and I started laughing.  I told her what was going on, and she laughed and thought it was adorable.  


We continued on our way to the mowers which were, thankfully, on display 10 feet inside the entrance.  

Bee

biggest bumble bee i have ever seen was crawling on the stairs leading to the boys' rooms. I thought it was one of those giant moths at first until I turned on the light! HUGE. I was so scared that the thing would burrow its way through the 3 layers of kleenex I used to grab it--It was buzzing like a chainsaw!


I'm glad I listened when David told me there was a bee.  All other "bees" have actually been flies.