How To Fold a Bus Note

This looks like a handy thing to know: How to Fold a Bus Note

Flower-Picking

The 100 Favorite Novels of Librarians

This was posted on a message board.

THE 100 FAVORITE NOVELS OF LIBRARIANS Based on a survey conducted by Brodart Co., September, 1998 - March, 1999

More Play

Miss M is playing with some Playmobil soldiers that her brother left out. In her world, everybody has detailed conversations with each other. I predict she'll love Jane Austen some day. I overheard this bit as her soldiers conversed together:

"But some soldiers don't have the energy to die . . ."

Spring indeed

Emma Summaries Part Two

Continued from Part One.

ch 29 - Frank Churchill and the Westons plan a dance at an old unused building called the Crown Inn. Emma's father goes along with the plan so long as windows will be kept closed so that none of the dancers gets chilled and sick.

ch 30 - The dance is all set to go, but then Frank Churchill is called away by his aunt. He's out of sorts, and when he says goodbye to Emma, he is about to declare that he is in love with Jane Fiarfax, although Emma thinks he was about to declare his love for herself. Later she visits Jane Fairfax, who is out of sorts, too.

ch 31 - Emma thinks she loves Frank Churchill, but in his absence, decides she does not. She imagines that he and Harriet might make a good couple, since Harriet is so kind and affectionate.

ch 32 - Emma meets Mr. Elton's new wife, Augusta, and doesn't like her. She's vulgar, snobbish, self-centered and constantly prattling about herself or something equally trivial.

ch 33 - Mrs. Elton admires Jane Fairfax and befriends her, which Emma assumes must be a hardship for Jane. Mr. Knightley declares that, although he admires Jane, she is too reserved for him to fall in love with her.

ch 34 - Emma really dislikes Mrs. Elton, but, so as not to appear resentful, she gives a dinner party for her. Mrs. Elton is as unpleasant as ever. When she learns that Jane Fairfax walks to the post office every morning to check her mail, Mrs. Elton pressures Jane to let the Elton's servant deliver it to her to save her from walking in wet weather. But Jane is fiercely determined to check her mail.

ch 35 - Mrs. Elton pressures Jane to let her find her a good job as a governess, even when Jane protests firmly. Mr. Weston has received a letter from Frank Churchill saying he will return soon.

ch 36 - Mr. Weston tells Mrs. Elton that his son, who she hasn't yet met, is coming back. Mrs. Elton keeps bringing the subject to herself, and he doggedly brings it back to Frank. Nobody seems to enjoy talking to her very much.

ch 37 - Frank Churchill and his aunt will be renting a place nine miles away, so everyone is assured of seeing plenty of him. Emma is sure now that she is not in love with him, nor he with her.

ch 38 - The ball. Mrs. Elton annoys everyone. Mr. Elton snubs and apparently humiliates Harriet by refusing to dance with her, even though she has no partner. But Mr. Knightley rescues her by dancing with her himself.

ch 39 - The next morning as Emma is fondly remembering the ball, Harriet is brought in by Frank Churchill. She was accosted by gypsies as she walked with a friend. Emma begins to imagine Harriet and Frank together.

ch 40 - Harriet finally breaks free of her obsession with Mr. Elton by burning little keepsakes of his that she had taken and cherished - and she confides to Emma that she likes someone else who is far superior to her in social status.

ch 41 - Mr. Knightley suspects a secret attachment between Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax.

ch 42 - Everyone goes to Mr. Knightley's to pick strawberries. Frank Churchill is absent. Jane Fairfax is pressured by Mrs. Elton to take a job as a governess for a friend of hers, and Jane finally leaves in distress. As she leaves, Frank Churchill shows up very late and in an agitated mood.

ch 43 - Everyone goes to Box Hill the next say to picnic. Frank and Jane exchange disagreeable words, and Emma is unpardonably rude to Miss Bates. She feels her guilt keenly after Mr. Knightly calls her on it.

ch 44 - Emma resolves to be a true friend to Miss Bates. She visits and learns that Jane has accepted the job as governess.

ch 45 - Frank Churchill's aunt has died. Meanwhile Jane Fairfax is distressed to the point of being ill and she won't see anybody. Nobody knows why she is so upset.

ch - 46 - The Westons break the news to Emma that Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax have been secretly engaged. Emma assures them that her own heart isn't broken; she's not in love with Frank Churchill.

ch 47 - Emma breaks the news of Frank Churchill's engagement to Harriet, but Harriet isn't heartbroken. It comes out that Harriet likes Mr. Knightley and Emma is devastated. She realizes that she has always loved Mr. Knightley herself. She thinks back on all her past actions and feels ashamed. It's her own fault that Harriet is vain enough to aspire to Mr. Knightley, and it's her own fault that Mr. Knightley ever met Harriet. She realizes her error in meddling with other people's lives.

ch 48 - Emma hears Mrs. Weston tell of Jane's anguish and shame during her secret engagement, and Emma regrets that she missed the opportunity to know her better. Mrs. Weston is pregnant and will be busy with her baby. Frank and Jane will marry and leave, Mr. Knightley will marry Harriet and have his own home to spend his evenings at - Emma thinks of these things and realizes that her future looks very lonely.

ch 49 - Mr. Knightley confesses his love for Emma, and Emma is happy again.

ch 50 - Emma reads a letter explaining Frank's behaviour. He told his uncle of his engagement to Jane to prevent Jane from leaving to take a job as a governess.

ch 51 - Mr. Knightley will move in with Emma so that her father won't have to do without her. Emma is distressed about Harriet, who is now the lonely outsider, rejected by both Mr. Elton and now Mr. Knightley.

ch 52 - Emma arranges for Harriet to spend two weeks with her (Emma's) sister so that Emma can enjoy her newfound happiness with Mr. Knightley and not upset Harriet. Jane and Emma become real friends.

ch 53 - Emma-s father is slowly reconciled to the idea of Emma marrying Mr. Knightley. Everyone is delighted except the Eltons.

ch 54 - Mr. Knightley has news that Harriet has consented to marry Robert Mr. Martin. Emma sees Jane with Frank Churchill and is glad that Mr. Knightley is so much superior in character to Frank.

ch 55 - Harriet marries Robert Martin. Jane and Frank set their wedding for November. Emma and Mr. Knightley marry. Her father finally accepts it after a rash of turkey thefts in the neighbourhood.

The End

More from Yesterday

Spring!

Amazing Mantis

I saw this on Cute Overload - I sometimes show this blog to L and Miss M because they're still young enough to love pictures of cute animals (although some of the humor is more geared towards adults!) This picture didn't originate there, though. They just posted a copy of it.

One Bird's as Good as Another

We have a friend who recently became an Eagle Scout, and we attended his ceremony (the whole thing reminded me of Charlotte Mason - I think Scouts and CM share ideals). He sent a thank you card with a nice photo of an eagle on the front. Miss M wanted to "read" the card, so she asked, "can I see that vulture letter?"

I don't think Vulture Scout has quite the same image of nobleness and honor as Eagle Scout.

What Book Are you?

I found this linked from a blog linked from a fan site.

You're Siddhartha!
by Hermann Hesse

You simply don't know what to believe, but you're willing to try anything once. Western values, Eastern values, hedonism and minimalism, you've spent some time in every camp. But you still don't have any idea what camp you belong in. This makes you an individualist of the highest order, but also really lonely. It's time to chill out under a tree. And realize that at least you believe in ferries.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

For the record, I'm a practical realist and I believe in using any resource available to get from point A to point B, whether that be a bridge, ladder or ferry. Wait - was that supposed to be 'fairies'? LOL!

I don't understand...

...why the evangelical Protestant church picks and chooses which liturgical holidays it will observe. Christmas yes, Easter yes; Epiphany no, All Hallows' Eve no, Good Friday no. Et cetera. It's the equivalent of reading someone a book and only reading them your favorite parts. There really is more to the story.

My Life is Now Complete

Tim found a blog that does nothing but rate pencils. Drafting pencils, mechanical pencils, black pencils, square pencils, colored pencils. Even a link to how to sharpen pencils.

Move over, Candy Blog - I've found a new favorite! I wonder if there's a pen blog?

Miss M this afternoon

L set up a Western town on the table with his Playmobil. While he's at piano lessons, Miss M is playing with it.

"Sheriff! There's a man stealing my dog!"
"Well - kill him! No, I mean - put him in jail!"
"But you're supposed to do that."
"You're whining."

And now brother J just came in with a sweet little handful of purple weedy flowers for her. Now she wants to marry him! Such is the power of flowers with women. I hope J will use that knowledge responsibly.

The Scarlet Letter quotes

These are all from the Introductory. I've started the actual story, but these are all from before the story.

"It is a good lesson--though it may often be a hard one--for a man who has dreamed of literary fame, and of making for himself a rank among the world's dignitaries by such means, to step aside out of the narrow circle in which his claims are recognized, and to find how utterly devoid of significance, beyond that circle, is all that he achieves, and all he aims at."

I think the above lesson would be good for anyone dreaming of fame and glory, not just writers.

And this next one reminded me of the nature of Postal work. Once you're in, the job is so secure that it can breed a lack of initiative and foster a dependence on the system. I guess this could be said of anyone who comes to depend on a government job of government help. In this case, it's being said about a person employed as a customs official.

"An effect--which I believe to be observable, more or less, in every individual who has occupied the position--is, that, while he leans on the mighty arm of the Republic, his own proper strength departs from him. He loses, in an extent proportioned to the weakness or force of his original nature, the capability of self-support. . . Why should he toil and moil, and be at so much trouble to pick himself up out of the mud, when, in a little while hence, the strong arm of his Uncle will raise and support him? Why should he work for his living here, or go to dig gold in California, when he is so soon to be made happy, at monthly intervals, with a little pile of glittering coin out of his Uncle's pocket?"

Do you ever feel...

...that life is like a run-on sentence? One of those long frustrating things that gallop forward without question-mark or exclamation-point or full-stop or even a comma to slow them down and give you no pause for breath and only hold together with conjunctions of dubious efficacy that stumble over themselves in the mad dash to get to the end of the sentence which is hardly recognizable when you reach it because by that time you've completely lost the thrust of the thing and are only staring glassy-eyed at the words and waiting for the punctuation mark at the end?

Emma

I like Emma - she's not perfect but tends to be a little self-absorbed and thoughtless, which I think more people can relate to than would admit. Yet she's got her good points. Her charity works, for instance, are sincere and from the heart, not just going through the motions to appear charitable. This is from chapter ten:

"Emma was very compassionate; and the distresses of the poor were as sure of relief from her personal attention and kindness, her counsel and her patience, as from her purse. She understood their ways, could allow for their ignorance and their temptations, had no romantic expectations of extraordinary virtue from those, for whom education had done so little; entered into their troubles with ready sympathy, and always gave her assistance with as much intelligence as good-will. In the present instance, it was sickness and poverty together which she came to visit; and after remaining there as long as she could give comfort or advice, she quitted the cottage with such an impression of the scene as made her say to Harriet, as they walked away, 'These are the sights, Harriet, to do one good. How trifling they make every thing else appear! I feel now as if I could think of nothing but these poor creatures all the rest of the day; and yet, who can say how soon it may all vanish from my mind?'"

Book Reference (note to myself)

In deciding which books to read, sometimes it's as valuable to know why people dislike specific books as to know which ones they love and why.

This blog post from Dominion Family is a year old, but I want to keep it bookmarked because the comments are helpful. One thing I already learned: I probably wouldn't like anything by Flannery O'Connor.

I'm enjoying Oliver Twist (I'm reading it my son for AO Year 5), and it makes me wonder if I might like Charles Dickens.

An Interesting Journey, continued

I've been posting links to a series of "Ebenezer" posts by online friend Camille tracing her experiences with parenting and how they changed her perspective. I could have added the continuing links to the same post, but her journey moved away from just parenting and into conflict over grace and theology at the conservative university where she was employed.
The Meeting
The Chapter
The Document

Foodscapes

These are amazing.


(The photographer's homepage is here, but I can't get it to work. The above link goes to a blog which also hosts other less suitable pictures. Browse with care.)

The Scarlet Letter - Introductory

I've been meaning to read this for a long time - I read it once in high school, but I want to try and read it for enjoyment. I didn't get much out of it last time. My friend Miss Roxie read it last year with her daughter, and she made it sound interesting.

This will a book I take to bed, so I'll mostly be reading whatever I feel like before I fall asleep - no schedule, and it may be slow going. I won't be blogging or summarizing or anything, I just thought this was interesting - I found this in the introductory:

"It is a little remarkable, that . . . when he casts his leaves forth upon the wind, the author addresses, not the many who will fling aside his volume, or never take it up, but the few who will understand him, better than most of his schoolmates or lifemates. Some authors, indeed, do far more than this, and indulge themselves in such confidential depths of revelation as could fittingly be addressed, only and exclusively, to the one heart and mind of perfect sympathy; as if the printed book, thrown at large on the wide world, were certain to find out the divided segment of the writer's own nature, and complete his circle of existence by bringing him into communion with it. It is scarcely decorous, however, to speak all, even where we speak impersonally. But--as thoughts are frozen and utterance benumbed, unless the speaker stand in some true relation with his audience--it may be pardonable to imagine that a friend, a kind and apprehensive, though not the closest friend, is listening to our talk; and then, a native reserve being thawed by this genial consciousness, we may prate of the circumstances that lie around us, and even of ourself, but still keep the inmost Me behind its veil."

Nathaniel Hawthorne thinks like a blogger. ;)

Emma Summaries

I'm going to do what Ginger started with Sense and Sensibility, summarizing each chapter, only, since I like the maxim 'brevity is the soul of wit,' I'm going to boil each chapter down to a really, really short summary. I'll just add to this post until I'm done.

ch 1 - Emma is a bit spoiled. Her beloved governess left to get married to Mr. Weston. Emma decides to find a match for Mr. Elton, who performed the wedding ceremony.

ch 2 - Mr. Weston's son Frank was raised by his mother's family after the mother died. Frank took on the name of his mother's family - Churchill.

ch 3 - Emma's small circle of friends includes Mr. Knightley, the two Bates ladies and Mrs Goddard, who runs a mediocre girls' school. Emma befriends Harriet Smith, an illigitimate girl raised by Mrs. Goddard's school. She's pleasant and pretty but has no pedigree or money. Harriet is friends with the Martins, who are poor farmers.

ch 4 - Harriet admires the Martin's son Robert, and he likes her, too - but Emma has more high-bred hopes for Harriet. She wants to match Harriet with Mr. Elton.

ch 5 - Mr. Knightley thinks Emma will give Harriet false airs, and Harriet will give Emma too much flattery - the friendship won't be good for either of them, and he tells Emma's old governess, the newly married Mrs. Weston.

ch 6 - Mr. Elton thinks Emma should draw a picture of harriet. He likes Emma and hopes to flatter her drawing skill. He frames the resulting picture. Emma persuades Harriet that Mr. Elton must really like her, Harriet.

ch 7 - Mr. Martin sent a letter proposing to Harriet, but Emma pressures Harriet (indirectly) to refuse him. So Harriet writes back to refuse, and she consoles herself by thinking of Mr. Elton.

ch 8 - Mr. Knightley is unhappy when he hears that Harriet refused Mr. Martin's proposal, especially since he had encouraged it with Mr. Martin.

ch 9 - Mr. Elton writes a riddle proclaiming his admiration for a lady. Emma thinks he means Harriet, and she convinces Harriet of it.

ch 10 - Emma takes Harriet on a charity visit. They run into Mr. Elton. Emma manipulates so that Harriet and Mr. Elton can be alone so he can proclaim his love - but he doesn't.

ch 11 - Emma's sister Isabella visits with her husband (Mr. Knightley's brother) and their five children. They'll be staying for ten days. Emma's father thinks ten days is too short a visit.

ch 12 - Emma has to constantly intervene to keep peace between her father and sister, Isabella. They keep coming to disagreements about health.

ch 13 - There's a small Christmas Eve dinner at the Weston's. Harriet gets sick with a cold and sore throat, so she can't go, and Emma is disappointed that the news doesn't distress Mr. Elton.

ch 14 - Mr. Elton makes a pest of himself with Emma. Mr. Weston's son Frank Churchill is planning to visit, but everyone fears that his aunt won't let him leave her to make the visit.

ch 15 - Emma ends up riding home alone in the carriage with Mr. Elton. She is mortified when he proposes to her; he is angry when she refuses.

ch 16 - Emma now realizes she had no right to meddle between Mr. Elton and Harriet. She's also indignant that Elton resented Harriet's affection because he considers her so much beneath him - yet he's just as much beneath Emma, and aspired to marry her for her money. His anger at her refusal betrays his feelings - he never really loved Emma.

ch 17 - Isabella and her family go home. Mr. Elton goes away for a few weeks (to stew, no doubt), and Emma gives Harriet the bad news that Mr. Elton hadn't loved her, but had wanted Emma. Emma is surprised to discover how much Harriet really is in love with the contemptible Mr. Elton.

ch 18 - Frank Churchill writes to the Westons that he will visit, and then has to cancel because his aunt won't let him go. Mr. Knightley thinks he's a weak, selfish person for not standing up to his aunt and doing his duty in spite of her whims. But Emma is ready to excuse and justify him.

ch 19 - Emma and Harriet stop to visit the Bates and learn that Jane Fairfax has sent a letter to say she will be coming to stay for three months while a family she lives with goes to Ireland to visit a recently married daughter (she was Miss Campbell, now she's Mrs. Dixon.)

ch 20 - Jane Fairfax is the granddaughter of Mrs. Bates and niece of Miss Bates. Her mother was the youngest daughter in the Bates family, but her husband was killed in a war and she died of heartbreak soon after. Colonel Campbell, a friend of her father's, raised orphaned Jane along with his own daughter (now Mrs. Dixon). His plan was to educate Jane to be a teacher, since he didn't have the means to support her forever or give her a good dowry.

Jane is beautiful, talented, elegant - but reserved to the point of seeming cold. It frustrates Emma because she can never be sure what Jane really thinks about anything.

ch 21 - Emma learns that Mr. Elton is going to be married - he seems to have gotten over her pretty quick! She wants to break it to Harriet before Harriet finds out from gossip, but Harriet is too ruffled about running into Mr. Martin and his sister to care as much as Emma thinks she should.

ch 22 - Mr. Elton's fiance Augusta is not as pretty as Harriet, but she has 10,000 pounds. Harriet, unfortunately, seems to run into Mr. Elton all the time - and it keeps her unrequited love in her thoughts. Yet she also seems to be thinking of Mr. Martin. Emma arranges for her to visit the Martins - not to revive the courtship, but to keep Harriet's mind off Mr. Elton.

ch 23 - Frank Churchill arrives. Emma finds him pleasing, but possibly insincere in his praise and flattery of everyone and everything. He knew Jane Fairfax when she was a fine young lady living with the Campbells. Now he will visit her while she's living in less privileged circumstances with her poor and talkative Bates relatives.

ch 24 - Emma goes for a walk through town with Frank Churchill and the Westons. Frank is interested in everything and pleased with all he sees, although he says that Jane Fairfax's complexion is pale and he agrees with Emma that Jane is reserved.

ch 25 - Frank goes all the way to London(town?) for the day to get a haircut. The Coles are giving a party. Emma suspects that they won't invite her because her station in life is so much higher than theirs. Emma does get an invitation. Her father will stay home where it's comfortable while Emma goes to the party.

ch 26 - The party at the Cole's. Emma and a privileged few come for dinner before the party. Frank Churchill is there for dinner. He chats with Emma all evening. Everyone is talking about a mysterious piano that was given to Jane Fairfax. Later, more people arrive, including Harriet and Jane Fairfax. Frank spends the evening pretending to like Emma and not Jane. But we know better. We've seen the movie.

ch 27 -Emma begins to hear hints of suspicion that Mr. Knightley likes Jane Fairfax, confirmed when Miss Bates goes on and on about apples. Apparently, when Mr. Knightley heard that Jane liked them, he gave the Bates an extra bushel - and apparently the last of his personal supply.

ch 28 - During a visit at the Bates, Frank Churchill teases Jane Fairfax (Emma thinks he's tormenting her about a secret attraction to Mr. Dixon who married her friend, but we know that it's Frank she likes) and Mr. Knightley, passing by, declines to stop in after hears that Frank Churchill is there.

This is about half the book. I'll do the second half in a brand new post.

What's England Really Like to a Tourist?

I finished A Walk with Jane Austen by Lori Smith and wanted to post one last quote, actually a few from one longer section.

"I sit here in the occasional rain, eating a ham and cheese toastie with chips and a salad with no dressing. The idea of a toastie does not bother me - sort of like grilled cheese without the butter - but I don't understand why no one here uses salad dressing. They sell it apparently, every kind you can imagine, only they forget to actually use it."

"Sandwiches are mostly bready things with the smallest amount of meat possible. At every opportunity they will put cucumbers on them. Or you can have something like cheese and onion, held together with mayonnaise. After a few days, I began to wonder how anyone gets enough protein in this country."

"It's impossible to get a good cup of coffee. Most everyone considers coffee to be the powdered instant stuff and even that they manage to make weak . . . half-and-half does not even exist here and they don't put out cream, so you have to make do with milk. Even at a restaurant, if you attempt to order decaf, they'll bring you watery instant with milk. Blech."

"I think the chocolate here is better."

I've just realized that all of these quotes are about what the food is like in England! I have to admit, even when I look back at historical periods, one of the things I always want to know is what did they eat? And on what kind of dishes? If I went to England, one of the first things I'd want to know is, what are their grocery stores like?

Lori Smith has a blog that includes excerpts from her book.

Movie: Jane Austen Book Club

We saw this last night (we used a ClearPlay filter.) We liked it, it follows the love lives of five women as they read through all six Jane Austen novels in six months. I plan to see it again.

I don't know if I would recommend this without a filter. (Ginger, maybe we could watch this one here at my house, since I have the filter!)

First it was J . . .

This morning Miss M was very annoyed because brother L told her that she couldn't have last night's chips for breakfast. She came to me and said indignantly, "L is a mean guy! We need to get rid of him!" I asked her what she thought we should do with him, and she said, "throw him down the stairs!" And then she started laughing at her own silliness.

Quote about C.S. Lewis from J Austen Book

"C.S. Lewis said every time you make a decision, you change the central part of you that chooses. He meant moral choices--whenever you choose to lie, for example, or not to lie, you change the substance of who you are and what you are likely to do the next time you have a choice to make."
(from A Walk with Jane Austen by Lori Smith)

She says the quote is in Mere Christianity. It reminds me of Charlotte Mason's perception of habit, how it changes the substance of the brain.

Spoiling Children

Last night Miss M had a tantrum, a pretty good one. She wanted something to eat that I wasn't going to give her (she wanted something that took some preparation and that I had finished and put everything away - and that she's not been eating lately, anyway - I wasnt going to drag everything back out and make something that would end up in the trash), although I offered to get her something else. I usually take her into the bedroom when she does this to calm down. So we went into the bedroom and I offered to make her a sandwich, no good. I offered peanuts, no good. I offered a slice of (soy) cheese. No good. I had been contemplating making myself some popcorn (this was after dinner), so I said, "How about popcorn?" She stopped crying and looked at me in amazement. "Mommy! You're going to spoil me!"

We have a friend who does sweet things for her (her college aged daughter, does, too) and I've told Miss M that they spoil her. So, in her mind, I think "spoiling" means doing something unexpectedly nice.

Quote on American Christianity from a book about Jane Austen

Mr. B. surprised me with a book he'd heard about somewhere (perhaps Focus on the Family?) called A Walk with Jane Austen by Lori Smith. The book isn't really about Jane Austen - it's about Lori Smith's thoughts and questions about her life during a trip she took to visit historical Jane Austen places.

Here's the quote:

"The American Christian mentality can be a dangerous one. We are so successful, so rich, that we begin to equate these things with the blessings of God. They are great blessings, to be sure. But in some ways this leads to a faith that evaluates God's work in our lives and the lives of our friends by the amount of stuff we have received. When things work out--our marriage, children, 401(k)--God is clearly present. When things do not work out, we tell ourselves and others to hold on, that God will surely come to our aid and act quickly on our behalf, bringing us what we want/need/desire/cannot live without. This is not entirely untrue; God loves to give us good things. And yet what we end up with in many ways is a faith focused on all of our riches, a faith that works only in America. Just thinking about trying to encourage Third World Christians the way we talk to each other belies the fact that these 'truths' we hold on to are not universal."

Old-Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills

Thanks to LauraK who posted this on the MBG message board. Here's just a sample from this NPR article, which you can read in its entirety here:

"Instead of spending their time in autonomous shifting make-believe, children were supplied with ever more specific toys for play and predetermined scripts. Essentially, instead of playing pirate with a tree branch they played Star Wars with a toy light saber. Chudacoff calls this the commercialization and co-optation of child's play — a trend which begins to shrink the size of children's imaginative space."

"one reason make-believe is such a powerful tool for building self-discipline is because during make-believe, children engage in what's called private speech: They talk to themselves about what they are going to do and how they are going to do it.
'In fact, if we compare preschoolers' activities and the amount of private speech that occurs across them, we find that this self-regulating language is highest during make-believe play," Berk says. "And this type of self-regulating language… has been shown in many studies to be predictive of executive functions.'
And it's not just children who use private speech to control themselves. If we look at adult use of private speech, Berk says, 'we're often using it to surmount obstacles, to master cognitive and social skills, and to manage our emotions.'
Unfortunately, the more structured the play, the more children's private speech declines."

Emma by J Austen and Miss M's Desire for a Dog

Ginger and I finished Sense and Sensibility and today we start Emma.

Miss M has been asking for a dog. L informed her that brother J is allergic to dogs, so she suggested that we "get rid of J." Just yesterday she told someone at church that J is her favorite brother. My, how things change! Or maybe nothing has changed, but her priorities are set and even when weighed against a favorite brother, a dog comes first? When I told her that getting rid of J wasn't an option, she said, "Then I'll grow up and marry myself so I can live by myself!"