All Things Supercinski

24. The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer – I hesitate to add this to the list because I did not complete this book, just about a quarter of the 864 pages, but I spent quite a bit of time going through the parts applicable to me soon. If anyone is considering homeschooling using the classical method, this book would be so helpful to have around. I plan on purchasing it for our home use. I was highly encouraged and excited to begin more formal homeschooling after reading this.

25. The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin – This was a good book, and while I don’t agree with some of the things in it (who always agrees with everything in a book though?), I learned a lot. I would love to start attending births more someday in a supportive role, and I found portions of this book to be quite helpful in that aspect. I especially appreciated the section on laboring positions and plan to refer to it again the future.

26. The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors by Michelle Young-Stone – I found this book on a reading blog that I stumbled upon, assuming it was a Christian blog and checked it out based on their review. While the story was quite captivating and the character development was very good, it is not my type of book and I’m not sure if I would recommend it.

27. There Is No Me Without You: One Woman’s Odyssey to Rescue Her Country’s Children by Melissa Fay Greene – I have had this book on my amazon wishlist for about four years now and I finally bought it. I could not put it down! This is an account of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa, specifically following a normal, middle-class Ethiopian woman who began caring for her country’s AIDS orphans during a time when they were highly stigmatized and left to the streets. The author follows some of the children through adoptions in the States. It was a wonderful book and I highly recommend it.

Better late than never!

21. What I Thought I Knew by Alice Eve Cohen – I saw this book on some reading list somewhere (I forget), and the description intrigued me. The author wrote this memoir after her experience with infertility, adoption and finding out she was 6 months pregnant at the age of 44 (after being misdiagnosed with bladder disorders, cancer, etc.) Facing an unexpected and high risk pregnancy, she explores her options and shares honestly her experiences. It was an interesting read, but her values are totally opposite from mine, making it very difficult to relate to her and not as enjoyable of a book as I expected.

22. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman – I have intended to read this book for a couple years–ever since Thomas read it and told me all about it. (He wrote a few unpublished blog posts based on this book, I wonder if we can persuade him to post them?) The theme of this book is the replacement of the printed word with television, where everything–politics, religion, news, etc.–is presented as entertainment and the repercussions are a decline in society. There is much more, but I think everyone should read this book. It will change the way you view entertainment. From the author:

When a population becomes distracted by trivia, when cultural life is redefined as a perpetual round of entertainments, when serious public conversation becomes a form of baby-talk, when, in short, a people become an audience and their public business a vaudeville act, then a nation finds itself at risk; culture-death is a clear possibility.

23. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls – Another memoir, but this one about a woman who was raised by vagrant parents who neglected their children in favor of gambling and drinking (her father) and artistic pursuits (her mother). This book was fascinating, and one of my favorite aspects of it was that the author was not complaining as she shared her amazing story. I feel that many memoirs tend to have a whining tone (see #21), but though the author was neglected by her parents, forced to eat out of trashcans as a little girl, and live in a falling down shack without electricity, she does not complain. Rather, her love for her parents and her respect for their ability to make their life seem like an adventure is what shines through.

17. The Road by Cormac McCarthy – this was my mom’s group book club book for March. I put off reading it for a long time since it is not my normal genre, but I finally gave it a go, and whew! What a book! I don’t think I have read anything so suspenseful in ages, and it had a great story. I don’t recommend it to anyone pregnant, anyone who as a heart condition or fragile nerves. When I checked it out, the librarian told me it was his favorite book. Then he looked at me, paused, and told me not to expect a happy ending. I appreciated the tip as I was reading. The book was so thought-provoking and I could not put it down.

18. Don’t Make Me Count to Three: A Mom’s Look at Heart-Oriented Discipline by Ginger Plowman – I read this book ages ago when Josiah was a toddler, and I am so glad I read it again this month. I found her book to be full of encouragement, tips and loaded with practical examples lacking in Shepherding a Child’s Heart. I highly recommend it.

19. The Spellmans Strike Again by Lisa Lutz – book four of the wonderful Spellman series. The sequels in this series have not disappointed–I have enjoyed every one of them. Lutz’s character development is great–I felt like I was reuniting with old friends when I picked up this book after waiting about a year for it.

20. The Blind Side: Evolution of the Game by Michael Lewis – my book club’s April book; this is the book that inspired the movie with Sandra Bullock. I read the book before seeing the movie, and it was a great read, even though I knew the story already. I am not sure if I ever gave football strategy and positions two seconds of thought, but this book, with several chapters dedicated to the history of football strategy, were surprisingly engaging and easy to read. Who could have imagined I would ever say that about football?

12. Your Best Birth by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein — I have been hearing some buzz about this book and decided to read it to see if I can learn anything and if I should recommend it to my Bradley students. I was impressed with this book and it seems to fill a great niche in the birthing book collection. The book’s primary focus is informing mothers-to-be about their choices in prenatal care and the importance of making an educated decision in your choice of care provider to help have the birth you are wanting. From the authors,

“We feel that the true mark of a “best birth” is when the mother is respected, informed, and treated as a participant in every decision about her pregnancy, labor and delivery. We have observed that when doctors and midwives treat mothers as active participants in their own childbirths, the mothers always feel empowered, no matter whether their births were natural or surgical. And when women feel safe and empowered around their births, they are able to bond with their babies and enter motherhood from a place of strength and security.”

My favorite part about this book are the checklists of questions to ask as you interview care providers and choose birth places. This is definitely not a labor preparation book, but one that could and should be read early in pregnancy. My least favorite part of the book was the final section on “Taking Back Your Birth.” It seemed a little rushed and like they added every sidebar section they couldn’t fit in the earlier part of the book, making it seem very disjointed and choppy. Something else that bugged me was that every time I read the title, I saw Joel Osteen’s face and I thought the book should be called, “Your Best Birth Now” with prayers to claim a pain-free birth where all you do is cough and out pops your baby, but I digress.

As a whole, this book was great–easy to read, entertaining and very informative. I highly recommend it to every pregnant woman, no matter what kind of birth you are envisioning.

13. The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride — This moving book tells the story of Ruth Jordan, a Polish Jew who immigrated to America and turned from her Orthodox Jewish upbringing and married a black man, became a follower of Jesus, and raised 12 children in poverty. It was a remarkable tale, and I highly recommend it.

14. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson – I saw this book on John Piper’s blog at DGM. The last book I read that he had reviewed was excellent, so I gave this one a try. It was beautifully written, and I even had to look up a few words as I was reading it. The story gave me much to think about as well.

15. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake – Kathryn Stockett, the author of The Help (which is still my favorite book of 2010, read it!) recommended this book on Amazon and the book cover. While this book was not as wonderful as The Help, and I felt like I had to trudge through it at times.

16. Mastering the Zone – I read this after all the hype about the Zone diet and Paleo diets, just to get a little more insight. I liked what the author had to say, though not enough to follow it 100%. I’m already a firm believer in the importance of protein, but his block calculations were a bit much for me.

And with Josiah, a few more Happy Hollisters and Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder (we loved this one!)

6. Birth & Breastfeeding by Michel Odent–This was another lactation educator training book. I chose it from the reading list after recognizing the author as the French guy with great things to say from “The Business of Being Born”. This book was a lot of philosophy, not the kind of practical book I would recommend to any pregnant woman. He has some great ideas along with some very interesting ones that I don’t agree with.

7. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult – I feel like I am always hearing Jodi Picoult books recommended, but this was the first one I read. It was a page-turner for sure and I shed a few tears over this one. I would recommend it if you were looking for fiction to read. It made me so thankful for my children’s health and was one more reminder to enjoy them and love them today. My favorite quote from this book was, “I realize then that we never have children, we receive them. And sometimes it’s not for quite as long as we would have expected or hoped. But it is still better than never having had those children at all.”
I just realized this was made into a move last year. Who knew? I must live in a cave or something… So I rented it and it stunk. Do not see this movie. Read the book. I cannot believe Jodi Picoult let them butcher her book that way. They completely changed the ending and everything. Boo, hiss, rotten tomatoes…

8. SuperFreakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner — Thomas and I enjoyed reading Freakonomics a few years ago. It gave me some insight into my good friend and walking buddy, Megan, who now has her doctorate in economics. This book was interesting and a really fast read, but it was a bit disappointing compared to the first book. The last chapter on climate change seemed to drag on forever. The first part of the book was written with a bit more boldness and “in your face” tone than I remember the first book, but I guess that is the story of the sequel.

9. Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot — This was a chick-lit mystery recommended on a friend’s blog. It was cute, entertaining, and a really quick book to read. It was definitely “chick-lit”, but not annoying like some I have read. If this book sounds appealing, you should check out the Spellman Files (and the sequels) by Lisa Lutz. They are hilarious.

10. Size 14 Is Not Fat Either (the sequel to the previous book) by Meg Cabot. It was cute and really fast to read, but definitely a sequel as sequels go–edgier, worse language, etc. to the point that I don’t really care to read the next book in the series.

11. The Coach’s Notebook: Games and Strategies for Lactation Education by Linda Smith — This book was a fabulous resource and I got some really great ideas. I can’t wait to start trying some of them in my latest Bradley class.

Not counting read-alouds of three Happy Hollisters and Charlotte’s Web.

I often wonder how many books I read in a year. I read a lot last year, but our “now reading” part of our blog wasn’t working and I forgot to tell my webmaster for many months. So, I am going to attempt a monthly book review, or at least list of completed books for that month, mostly out of curiosity of how many books I read in a year. One of my goals for this new year is to manage my time better and read more, let’s see how long it lasts.

Breastfeeding and Human Lactation by Jan Riordan – I plowed through this 850+ page textbook in a mere six weeks. I fell asleep many nights with that book in my lap, but I learned so much. I am pursuing certification as a lactation educator, and this was required reading.

The Nursing Mother’s Guide to Weaning by Kathleen Huggins and Linda Ziedrich – another lactation educator book and one that I was interested in reading to gain some encouragement in nursing a toddler, not because I am interested in weaning anytime soon, but for ideas when the time comes. This book met those goals, and could be a good resource to a mother considering weaning at any point in her nursing relationship. I really enjoyed their insight into why Western countries nurse their babies for such a short time compared to the rest of the world. From the authors:

Americans tend to fear their children’s dependence… the same fear provokes questions and warnings from well-meaning people about the wisdom of long breastfeeding, and drives many women to wean before they are ready. We should remind ourselves that American individualism, in many of its forms, is not born of confidence and trust, but of alienation. As Elizabeth Hormann (1982) points out, ‘We are bent on weakening bonds in the name of growth and independence, then spend our adulthoods wondering why we have trouble getting close to other people.’”

Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices by Frank Viola and George Barna
I read half of this book earlier in the fall and finally finished it this month. I found this book to be very interesting, but I read it through the lens of knowing the authors’ agenda–the house church movement. Basically the authors are making three points: 1) A great deal of what we do in church today does not come from the New Testament. 2) Much of what is practiced originated out of Greco-Roman customs and traditions (paganism, not Judaism), and/or human-made inventions. 3) Many of these practices actually hinder the church from being what God designed her to be. The over-arching question the authors seem to be asking is: Do the practices of modern institutional churches reflect a God-ordained/inspired development, or are they a departure from it?

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
This was my mom’s group February book. It was entertaining, but I’m not sure if I would recommend it. It only took two days to read it, and I just realized this was made into a movie to be released soon… hmmm… it was okay but I’m not sure I want to see a movie about it.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett — I loved this book and could not put it down. I was so sad when it ended as it was one of those books where you feel like you know the characters so well. Based in Jackson Mississippi during the early 1960s, this book is about three main characters–two black maids (“the help”) and a young white woman recently graduated from college who sets out to write the stories of black maids working in white homes during the turbulent beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement. It was thought-provoking and very well-written. I highly recommend it.

January total = 5 (not counting the four Happy Hollister books I read aloud to Josiah… please, let us move on from Happy Hollisters soon, son!)

I have been intrigued by the idea of freezer cooking for a long time and have successfully dabbled in it since we got our garage freezer almost two years ago. The idea of once-a-month freezer cooking sounds fantastic, but the execution of a huge shopping trip and day of cooking is out of reach at this point in my life. For the past two years, I have made a point to cook double of meals that freeze easily (namely soups and casseroles), with one to eat and one to freeze for busy days.

One of my Bradley students told me about the cookbook, Fix, Freeze, Feast, that she was using to stock her freezer in preparation for her birth. I was intrigued and used some birthday money to buy it. It was totally worth it, and I am hooked on freezer cooking.

The authors’ premise is to purchase meat in bulk at Sam’s or other warehouse stores for savings. I just use the quarter of the cow we have in our freezer already, whole chickens from our broiler adventures, and other chicken from Sam’s or the grocery specials. Rather than making a month’s worth of meals, each meal makes 3-6 meals. Some are casseroles or soups, but most are not, which I love. One of my favorites is called Sweet Asian Chicken. It is basically sliced, raw meat in a marinade. Just thaw and add veggies and you have a great stir fry.

Every recipe I have tried is delicious. There are no cream of whatever soups used in the recipes, and all are very made from scratch. Some recipes call for boullion granules, which I have yet to find locally without MSG, but I think you could use broths instead.

Bottom Line: two thumbs up from this cook who enjoys a night off a couple nights a week without eating out.

I had been itching to see Ricki Lake’s documentary, The Business of Being Born, ever since I heard about it months ago, and I finally had a chance to watch it last week. The Women’s Studies department at TAMU was holding a screening, and thankfully, my midwife was telling everyone she knew to come. I highly recommend the film to anyone who is pregnant or thinking about having children anytime soon.

The documentary makes an excellent case for natural childbirth, and a very strong case for giving birth outside of the hospital. With the United States spending more money delivering babies than any other country, but with an infant mortality rate the second worst in the developed world (and a maternal mortality rate that is one of the worst in the developed world), something needs to change. The documentary sites several reasons–the absence of midwives from hospitals, the rising cesarean rate, artificial time limits put on the natural process of birth, insurance/money and more. The film offers a lot of statistics, history, and political explanations for current birth practices that leave little confidence in the current system (especially the historical parts).

Several home births are documented in the film, including Ricki Lake’s own birth. There is quite a bit of nudity, but less than the average birthing video, and much less than the films I show in my classes! These births show the pain, excitement and freedom of birth without hospital restrictions and policies. The film takes an unexpected turn with director Abby Epstein’s pregnancy and birth offering balance as to the role of hospitals and doctors when serious complications arise.

While unmedicated childbirth is a truly miraculous event, and one that I highly recommend experiencing, I tend to disagree with the film’s underlying message that natural birth is the culmination of your existence as a woman. I do believe that, in the majority of cases, God made our bodies fully capable of giving birth without modern technology assisting, though it definitely has a place, as the film shows through Epstein’s birth. Our blind trust and dependence upon surgeons to “treat” the normal has led us to forsake education, preparation, and determination in the natural process. I fully recommend The Business of Being Born. You will be challenged to (re)consider your views on birth. The film is currently available through private screenings and Netflix.

We Supercinskis have been serious readers this summer, and I have read so many great books that I want to recommend them to you, our faithful readers.

Finished
A Long Way Gone, Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. This is one of the most painful memoirs I have ever read. It is about a twelve-year-old boy forced into war where he witnessed and participated in some of the most horrible violence imaginable, but he tells his story honestly and without self-pitying.

Same Kind of Different as Me: A modern day slave, an international art dealer, and the unlikely woman who bound them together by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. I read most of this book this afternoon, and I am thinking about reading it again. My review doesn’t do it justice, so just read this one. Really, I can’t recommend it enough–go get it!

Stepping Heavenward by Elisabeth Prentiss. As Elisabeth Eliot says on the back cover of my book, I recommend this book “to any woman who wants to walk with God.” Not that it is that necessary, but I found it, though fiction, to be such an encouragement to me in growing in Christlikeness.

Currently Reading
Don’t Make Me Count to Three: A Mom’s Look at Heart-Oriented Discipline by Ginger Plowman. Her book is a wonderful compliment to Shepherding a Child’s Heart, but more on the practical side. She offers many suggestions of the “how” to reprove which I have found to be very helpful.

What Jesus Demands from the World by John Piper. I just started this one after getting it for only $2.50–what a deal! I am excited to read more.

Real Food by Nina Plack. Another that I just started, which is similar to The Omnivore’s Dilemma, one of our favorite food culture books. Another book I can’t wait to get into!

Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic by John de Graaf. This was loaned to us by a friend, who was right on the money in thinking that we would like it. It is a wonderful reminder of why we are told to lay up our treasures in heaven, when the world around us (and our minds) are always wanting to acquire more on earth.

Do you have any recommendations you want to share?

“Curiously, Justus von Liebig, the nineteenth-century German chemist with the spectacularly ironic surname, bears responsibility for science’s overly reductive understanding of both ends of the food chain. It was Liebig, you’ll recall, who thought he had found the chemical key to soil fertility with the discovery of NPK, and it was the same Liebig who thought he had found the key to human nutrition when he identified the macronutrients in food. Liebig wasn’t wrong on either count, yet in both instances he made the fatal mistake of thinking that what we knew about nourishing plants and people was all we needed to know to keep healthy. It’s a mistake we’ll probably keep repeating until we develop a deeper respect for the complexity of food and soil and, perhaps, the links between the two.” The Omnivore’s Dilemna, pg. 180